Biography

Margaret George Shello was born on January 21, 1942, in the village of Duri, located in the Barwari Bala region of the Amadiya district, Duhok province, to Christian parents. Their family came to Kurdistan from Russia in 1930 and settled in the village of Duri on the border between Turkey and Iraq. Later, her father George moved the family to the Zummar sub-district, and from there to Kani Masi. Margaret went to school; she was married to Musa Khumu, and after a while, they separated.  

Margaret George Shello was fascinated by the French Revolution and (Joan of Arc), the French revolutionary woman who played a major role in defeating British forces in France. That influence led her to become a rebellious woman and take up arms against the oppression of the Ba'ath regime and join the Peshmerga Forces of the Aylul Revolution to do so.

Struggle Record

In the middle of the Year 1961, when President Mustafa Barzani arrived at the village of Duri with a force, Margaret's father, George Shello, gave him a warm welcome and expressed his support for the revolution, and used his own house as a temporary residence for President Mustafa Barzani and his companions. Margaret's father (George), who was previously the commander of the Kani Masi police, after the arrival of Mullah Mustafa Barzani to their village, George, along with the Kani Masi police, joined with their weapons to the Aylul Revolution led by Mustafa Barzani.  

Margaret joined the organizations of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the Year 1961, and in 1963 she joined the Kurdistan Peshmerga forces of the Aylul Revolution and became the first female Peshmerga. The Iraqi regime at that time had set a reward for the arrest of Margaret and her father, George Shello.

In 1963, the Iraqi Army attacked the village of Ra's al-Ain. They were repelled by a Peshmerga force and fought a fierce battle until the evening. At that time, Margaret went with a force to the aid of that Peshmerga force, and they were able to repel the enemy force and inflict heavy losses on them. Margaret played a role within the Peshmerga forces as both a Peshmerga and a doctor, because before joining the Peshmerga forces, she was a hospital employee.

Dana Adams Schmidt, in the book "Journey Among Brave Men", narrated the story of Margaret George on the authority of Asad Khoshawi that she commanded a small unit in the Akre region and was referred to in European newspapers as the Joan of Arc of the Kurd revolution.

After the Iraqi Army's aircraft attacked the village of Duri for the second time, this time the villagers left their place and became displaced, and George's family headed to the Barzan mountains and were welcomed by Sheikh Ahmed Barzani. Later, by the decision of President Mustafa Barzani their family was moved to Ranya. Margaret was also one of the participants in the 1963 broad meeting of the party in Koya.

After 8 years of struggle for the independence of Kurdistan, on the night of December 26, 1969, on the second day of Christmas in the village of Qalaqumri in the Barwari Bala region, she was attacked in an ambush by mercenaries and was wounded. Although she was taken to the hospital, she passed away due to the severity of her wounds and her name entered the caravan of the Martyrs of Kurdistan.

Sources:
  • Dawud Murad Khatari, The Peshmerga Martyr Margaret George and her role in the Kurdistan Aylul Revolution, Jangal Press, Tehran.
  • Dana Adams Schmidt, Journey Among Brave Men in Kurdistan.
  • Interview with Roj George Shello, Margaret's sister, October 27, 2025, in the city of Duhok.
  • Archive of the Encyclopedia Board of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.