Mullah Krekar

*Emir*
*Mullah*
Najmadin Vahid Faraj Ahmad
Emir; Mullah; Najmadin Vahid Faraj Ahmad
نه‌جمه‌دین وه‌حید فه‌ره‌ج ئه‌حمه‌د
	Mullah Krekar at a Rawti Shax protest against the Quran burnings in Europe
Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Byara
	In office; September 2001 – 30 March 2003
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Deputies	Wirya Salih; Ali Bapir;
Personal details
Born	July 7, 1956 (age 67); Sulaymaniyah, Kingdom of Iraq
Spouse	Rukhosh Ahmad
Children	4
Military service
Allegiance	Islamic Emirate of Byara
Branch/service	Ansar al-Islam
Years of service	2001–2003
Battles/wars	Islamist insurgency in Iraqi Kurdistan; Iraq War Operation Viking Hammer; Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011);

Najmadin Vahid Faraj Ahmad^[1] (Kurdish: نەجمەدین وەحید فەرەج ئەحمەد, July 7, 1956), better known as Mullah Krekar (Kurdish: مه‌لا کرێکار), is an Iraqi Kurdish Sunni Islamic scholar and militant who was the founder and former leader of Islamist militant group Ansar al-Islam. He is currently serving a prison sentence in Italy, after having been extradited from Norway in 2020.^[2] He came to Norway as a refugee from Iraqi Kurdistan in 1991. His wife, Rukhosh Ahmad,^[3] and his four children have Norwegian citizenship, but not Krekar himself. He speaks Kurdish, Arabic, Persian, Norwegian and English.^[4]

Krekar was the original leader of the Islamist armed group Ansar al-Islam, which was set up and commenced operations in Northern Iraq while he had refugee status in Norway. Krekar claims, however, not to have had foreknowledge of the various terrorist attacks performed by the group he was leading. Since February 2003 he has an expulsion order against him, which is suspended pending Iraqi government guarantees that he will not face torture or execution. Norway is committed to international treaties which prohibit the expulsion of an individual without such a guarantee.^[5]

Kurdish authorities in the Kurdistan Regional Government have repeatedly asked for Mullah Krekar to be extradited from Norway. The death penalty remains on the books in the Kurdistan region. Most death sentences have been changed into life sentences since the Kurdish authorities took power in 1992, the exception being that eleven alleged members of Ansar al-Islam were hanged in the regional capital of Erbil in October 2006. He has as of 8 December 2006 been on the UN terror list,^[6] and as of 8 November 2007 been judged by the Supreme Court of Norway as a "danger to national security".^[7]

On March 26, 2012, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison for making repeated death threats against Norwegian politicians and the Kurds if they pursued certain civil actions against him. He has appealed this prison sentence. The next day, March 27, 2012, he was arrested by the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) and Norwegian Police and taken into protective custody and incarceration. This occurred after certain additional statements of a threatening nature were linked to him, suggesting that others might take retaliatory actions against Norwegians if his civil prison sentence were implemented.^[8]

In 2020, he was extradited to Italy.^[9] In 2022, his 12-year prison sentence was upheld when the Italian Supreme Court rejected his appeal.^[10]

^ "Islamist militant Krekar to be extradited from Norway to Italy". Reuters. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
^ "Mulla Krekar – Store norske leksikon". Snl.no. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
^ "پاش ئەوەی لە مانگی ٨/ی ساڵی ١٩٨٤ دەگەڕێتەوە شاری سلێمانی، لە ٢٢/٧/١٩٨٤ژیانی ھاوسەری لەگەڵ خاتو ڕوخۆش ئەحمەد پێک دەھێنێت کە پێشتر یەکیان ناسیوەو". krekar.co. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
^ "ژیاننامەی مەلا کرێکار". krekar.co.
^ Affairs, Ministry of Foreign (19 July 2009). "Conditions for the return of Mullah Krekar to Iraq remain unchanged". Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
^ "mullah Krekar oppført på FNs terrorliste Archived 2012-10-11 at the Wayback Machine", VG
^ "Høyesterett: Mulla Krekar fare for rikets sikkerhet Archived 2011-06-23 at the Wayback Machine", NRK
^ "PST vil varetektsfengsle Krekar Archived 2012-03-28 at the Wayback Machine", Dagbladet
^ "Krekar sendt ut av landet – Frp feirer med kake Archived 2020-03-26 at the Wayback Machine", NRK. "[...] på en hasteinnkalt pressekonferanse torsdag ettermiddag. – Krekar er ikke lenger i Norge. Krekar er i dag utlevert til Italia, sa Mæland."
^ https://www.nrk.no/norge/krekar-saken-endelig-avgjort-i-italia-1.15973983. Nrk.no. Retrieved 20 May 2022

[1] "Islamist militant Krekar to be extradited from Norway to Italy". Reuters. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 2022-04-22.

[2] "Mulla Krekar – Store norske leksikon". Snl.no. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-12-17.

[:0-3] "پاش ئەوەی لە مانگی ٨/ی ساڵی ١٩٨٤ دەگەڕێتەوە شاری سلێمانی، لە ٢٢/٧/١٩٨٤ژیانی ھاوسەری لەگەڵ خاتو ڕوخۆش ئەحمەد پێک دەھێنێت کە پێشتر یەکیان ناسیوەو". krekar.co. Retrieved March 20, 2020.

[4] "ژیاننامەی مەلا کرێکار". krekar.co.

[5] Affairs, Ministry of Foreign (19 July 2009). "Conditions for the return of Mullah Krekar to Iraq remain unchanged". Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2011.

[6] "mullah Krekar oppført på FNs terrorliste Archived 2012-10-11 at the Wayback Machine", VG

[7] "Høyesterett: Mulla Krekar fare for rikets sikkerhet Archived 2011-06-23 at the Wayback Machine", NRK

[8] "PST vil varetektsfengsle Krekar Archived 2012-03-28 at the Wayback Machine", Dagbladet

[9] "Krekar sendt ut av landet – Frp feirer med kake Archived 2020-03-26 at the Wayback Machine", NRK. "[...] på en hasteinnkalt pressekonferanse torsdag ettermiddag. – Krekar er ikke lenger i Norge. Krekar er i dag utlevert til Italia, sa Mæland."

[10] ttps://www.nrk.no/norge/krekar-saken-endelig-avgjort-i-italia-1.15973983. Nrk.no. Retrieved 20 May 2022

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