Baghdad, July 19 (IANS) Iraqi president Jalal Talabani returned home from Germany Saturday after recovering for 18 months from a stroke, the state media reported. In December 2012, Talabani was admitted to a Baghdad hospital after showing signs of fatigue and was later found to be suffering from arteriosclerosis because of tiredness, though his condition was described as stable. Talabani is a former rebel leader fighting former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's government. Founder and secretary general of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, a main Kurdish political party in Iraq, Talabani has been an advocate for Kurdish rights and democracy for more than 50 years.