IRGC-linked factions step up activity against Kurdistan Region of Iraq Armed factions in Iraq with links to Iran have increased accusations against Kurds in the country’s autonomous region and may have been behind some recent attacks on them. Shelly Kittleson | Iraq | Jan 12, 2022 Kurdish peshmerga forces learn battlefield first aid techniques from a military doctor during a medical training session on Nov. 3, 2015, in Erbil, Iraq. The Kurdish troops, many of them frontline veterans, are rotated in for the 5-week program. Coalition forces from Europe and the United States are training peshmerga and Iraqi army troops in the fight against the Islamic State.
Ancient Kurdish rain ritual revived in Syria as drought continues Kurdish farmers in the countryside of Qamishli revive an ancient ritual called Ziwa, or the Bride of the Rain, to invoke rain after seasons of drought. Essam Sabry Hafez | Syria | Jan 6, 2022
Kurdish Gazan families interwoven in Palestine’s national fabric Kurds came to Palestine for several purposes over the centuries. They then continued to flock for trade and work in the Ottoman and Mamluk eras, when they merged and built archeological sites in Palestine. Hadeel Al Gherbawi | Palestine | Jan 2, 2022
Child rape and security forces’ behavior spark outcry in Iraq Violent crimes perpetrated against Iraqi women and girls has led to outrage and renewed calls for women to have greater representation and decision-making opportunities in the country, as all-male government formation talks continue. Shelly Kittleson | Iraq | Dec 31, 2021
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party seeks justice for murdered party volunteer The Peoples’ Democratic Party charges that the prosecutors are reluctant to fully investigate the links of the health worker who attacked the party’s office in June. Nazlan Ertan | Turkey | Dec 27, 2021
Kurdish leaders say poverty 'biggest threat,' driving Syrians into arms of IS Offers of money by the Islamic State to join its ranks prove "irresistible" to those hit hard by Syria's collapsed economy. Amberin Zaman | Syria | Dec 27, 2021
Floods hit Kurdistan region as drought leaves many Iraqis in need Parts of northern Iraq have been hit by flooding after a year marked by drought, which many say is due to climate change likely to worsen in the coming years. Shelly Kittleson | Iraq | Dec 22, 2021
Turkey targets PKK-linked Yazidis inside Iraq A local Yazidi armed group linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party and affiliated with the government-incorporated Popular Mobilization Units has been targeted as part of stepped-up Turkish cross-border operations. Shelly Kittleson | Iraq | Dec 13, 2021
Jihadis from Syria blamed for multiple attacks on Iraqi Kurds An onslaught of attacks on Kurdish peshmerga forces and villages in northern Iraq has sparked concerns over the presence of Islamic State cells and whether they have been bulked up by jihadis arriving from Syria. Shelly Kittleson | Iraq | Dec 10, 2021
Kurdish politician's plight highlights Turkey's indifference to critically ill inmates Aysel Tugluk, who defended PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in his trial decades ago, is now suffering from advanced dementia behind bars, despite widespread calls for her release. Amberin Zaman | Turkey | Dec 9, 2021
Iraqi prime minister visits site of Islamic State attack Mustafa al-Kadhimi met with Kurdistan Region security forces in disputed Makhmour. Al-Monitor Staff | News Brief | Dec 8, 2021
Turkish police arrest alleged members of far-left organization Lawyers have accused Turkish authorities of unjustly detaining people for alleged Revolutionary Peoples’ Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) links. Al-Monitor Staff | News Brief | Dec 4, 2021
Islamic State targets peshmerga in Iraq’s disputed Diyala and Makhmour A recent string of attacks on Iraq’s Kurdistan Region peshmerga forces have raised concern over how effective long-discussed coordination with the central government is in the country’s flashpoint disputed territories. Shelly Kittleson | Iraq | Dec 3, 2021
Islamic State carries out another attack on Iraqi Kurdish forces The Islamic State has attacked the security forces in Iraqi Kurdistan in recent days. Al-Monitor Staff | News Brief | Dec 3, 2021
Shiite leaders gather in Baghdad to break political deadlock In order to break the political deadlock resulting from Iraq's recent elections, Shiite leaders gathered to find a solution to forming the next government. Ali Mamouri | Iraq | Dec 3, 2021
Egyptian archaeologists unwrap Amenhotep I mummy, rewrite history Mohamed Saied | Culture | Jan 8, 2022
Sultan Qaboos’ environmental legacy hits economic roadblock in Oman Sebastian Castelier | Gulf | Jan 7, 2022
Erdogan hopes fence-mending trip to Saudi Arabia eases financial woes Fehim Tastekin | Turkey | Jan 7, 2022
Attacks on US in Iraq meant to send ‘harsh’ message — without spilling blood Ali Hashem (Iran Pulse) | Iraq | Jan 6, 2022
Kurdish peshmerga forces learn battlefield first aid techniques from a military doctor during a medical training session on Nov. 3, 2015, in Erbil, Iraq. The Kurdish troops, many of them frontline veterans, are rotated in for the 5-week program. Coalition forces from Europe and the United States are training peshmerga and Iraqi army troops in the fight against the Islamic State.
