Twana Karim Rahim

Twana Karim Rahim, also known as Makwan, resided in Norway. He has been a senior member of the sovereign commission of Rawti Shax since 2009, working closely with Mullah Krekar in the organization and management of the group. During Krekar’s detention, he, along with Awat Karkuky, assumed leadership responsibilities, ensuring the continuity of the organization’s activities.
Makwan handled administrative tasks, maintained relations with politicians in Kurdistan, engaged with the media, and managed Rega Magazine, the official publication of Rawti Shax. He also oversaw the “Kurdistan Kurd u Islam DiDi New” chatroom on Paltalk, where he was responsible for administration and ideological training, aiming to radicalize members. His work included the translation, publication, and dissemination of Mullah Krekar’s ideology, ensuring its spread across Europe and Kurdistan. Like Krekar, he believed that Islamists could not achieve their goals through democratic means or elections. He openly declared himself a loyal follower of Mullah Krekar, expressing unwavering willingness to carrying out any task Krekar assigned.
Makwan also played a direct role in covert operations, focusing on recruitment and weapons procurement for activities in Europe. Working with Mullah Krekar, he developed undercover initiatives in Kurdistan, using humanitarian and religious efforts as a front to target government officials for kidnapping and extortion. He personally travelled to Iraq, establishing critical contacts for these operations.
Following Krekar’s arrest in March 2012, Makwan was appointed temporary Emir of Rawti Shax. Between March and April, 2012, he restructured the organization and assigned Nauroz, Kawa, and Kamil to establish the organization’s Italian cell. He also reorganized communication channels with Awat Karkuky, acted as the primary link between Krekar and the group, and managed fundraising, support for the families of deceased fighters, and assistance to ideologically aligned individuals in Europe and the Middle East. Additionally, he travelled to North Africa and the Middle East, reinforcing ties with militant groups and recruiting new members for operations in Kurdistan.
Makwan was a key target in Operation JWEB, a counterterrorism investigation led by the Italian Carabinieri ROS in collaboration with European authorities. On July 15, 2019, the Court of Assizes of Bolzano convicted him and five others for international terrorism, a ruling upheld on July 18, 2020. Sentenced to nine years in prison, he subsequently lost his Norwegian citizenship. He was arrested on August 4, 2020, and extradited to Italy and imprisoned on October 3, 2020.