Governor Ali Tatar was sworn in as Governor of Duhok in June 2020. Prior to this role, he served as Director General of Duhok’s Intelligence Agency from 2002 to 2011. He has also held several key positions within the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), including Head of the Student Union and Head of Party Branches in Zakho and Soran, and has been elected as a member of the party’s leadership board.

In addition to his political career, Governor Tatar is a published author of historical research, journalism, and media articles.

Governor Tatar was born into a politically influential family with roots tracing back to the early Ottoman Empire. He joined the Peshmerga forces in 1989 and was later captured, tortured, and imprisoned by the Iraqi Ba’ath regime until the Kurdish uprising in 1991. Due to his active role in the Kurdish freedom movement, he was forced to interrupt his education multiple times.

Governor Tatar holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Duhok and was awarded a full professorship in contemporary history in 2018.