Feature After SDF-Damascus truce, is Kurdish haven still safe for Syria's Alawites? Thousands of Alawites who fled violence in western Syria now face uncertainty as the Syrian government and Kurdish forces reach a tentative truce. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Exclusive 100 non-Syrian Kurds return to PKK’s Qandil stronghold under SDF-Damascus deal The transfer of non-Syrian PKK fighters to Iraq’s Qandil Mountains follows a US-brokered SDF-Damascus deal aimed at easing tensions and preserving Kurdish forces under national army oversight. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Feature Syrian Kurds say US ignored pleas for help as ISIS detainees turned on them in al-Hol Chaos at al-Hol during clashes between Kurdish forces and Damascus underscored the widening security vacuum amid Kurdish claims of US abandonment. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
France's role in Syria-SDF agreement: What to know French diplomatic sources highlight the role played by Paris in recent months in reaching an agreement between the Sharaa government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Syria
Analysis Kurds, Damascus step back from brink as SDF signs fresh deal with Syrian government By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Interview YPG spokesman: Syrian forces' strategy is to isolate Kurdish towns and cities Siyamend Ali YPG spokesman
Feature ISIS brides face uncertain future as Damascus clashes with Syria’s Kurds By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Kurds put conditions for allying with Shiites to form government Shiite parties seek to gain favor with the Kurdish parties to include them in the majority charged with forming the new government, while the Kurds consider this a historical opportunity to impose their conditions on those wishing to ally with them. Iraq
Not everyone in Iraq welcomes peshmerga's possible return to Kirkuk As Iraq's central and Kurdish governments tentatively make nice again, the potential return of the Kurdish peshmerga to Kirkuk has some groups in the country on edge. Iraq
Turkey kills PKK leader in Sinjar A Turkish airstrike has killed a senior leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party in Sinjar, to the dismay of the Iraqi Yazidis the group rescued. Iraq
Syria's Kurds cautiously progress in talks with Damascus According to the former head of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, Salih Muslim, a recent Kurdish delegation to Damascus didn’t go into the talks with red lines, but rather focused on building confidence. Syria
How regional politics is restraining Kurdish militancy in Iran While some Iranian Kurdish armed opposition groups are intent on raising the heat on Iran amid ongoing US pressure, other groups are careful not to enter a conflict that may spiral out of control. Iraqi-Kurdistan
Terrorist attack on Erbil government building raises concern in Iraqi Kurdistan An attack on an Erbil government building highlights homegrown terror networks and reveals dangerous security fissures in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. Iraq
Will Iranian Kurds be on front lines of US conflict with Iran? The US administration appears to increasingly be looking at armed Iranian Kurdish opposition groups as part of its campaign to economically and militarily pressure Iran. Iraqi-Kurdistan
Renewal of anti-terror law threatens human rights in Iraqi Kurdistan The Iraqi Kurdistan parliament has extended an austere law put in place to combat the Islamic State, raising serious concerns about human rights abuses and trials behind closed doors. Iraq
Abadi, Maliki seek alliance with Iraq's Kurds Nearly two months since Iraq's parliamentary election, the winning parties are still discussing an alliance to form the new government. Iraq
Turkey’s Kurdish policies provoke backlash everywhere The US-Turkish deal on Manbij sparks a Damascus opening to Syrian Kurds; Iran scolds Turkey on PKK operations in Syria; the HDP faces violence and an “uneven” playing field in elections; Iran is caught in the middle between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Kurdish rebels move to gain US support for operations against Iran Buoyed by an apparent resurgence in interest in Kurdish rebel groups in Washington, Iranian Kurdish rebel leaders appear to be maneuvering to gain support from the United States as Washington moves to confront the Islamic Republic. United States
Turkey takes on Kurds in evolving Qandil operation Although Ankara seems determined to reach the PKK stronghold of Qandil in Iraq, it faces many obstacles to sustaining such an operation against Kurdish militants in the punishing mountain region. Iraq
