Ahmad Mustafa Kanilinji was born in 1919 in the village of Kanilinj. He participated in the Barzan revolutions from 1943 to 1945. Later, he participated as an officer in the Kurdistan Republic and was seriously wounded in one of the battles.
After the fall of the Kurdistan Republic, he returned to Iraq with Sheikh Ahmad Barzani and the Barzani family. After returning to Iraq, he was arrested with his comrades and sentenced to death, but the sentence was later commuted to 20 years in prison.
On #24-05-2010#, Ahmad Mustafa Kanilinji, also known as Ahmad Masti, passed away at the age of 91 in Rzgari Hospital in Erbil.
On the same day, his body was taken to Kanilinj village and buried in his hometown.[1]