Kurds

Members of Iraq's security forces stand guard on the the al-Rabia border crossing with Syria on April 20, 2026.

How Syria's border opening with Iraq redefines Turkey-Kurd balance

After years of closure, the reopening of al-Yaaroubiya crossing is redrawing Kurdish economic leverage and reinforcing Turkey’s regional strategy.

Kurdish people waving Kurdistan flags gather to celebrate Nowruz on the hill of Urkesh in the countryside of Amuda in northeastern Syria on March 18, 2026. Nowruz, meaning "new day," is an ancient festival that marks the start of spring and the new year on the vernal equinox, which usually falls on March 20 or 21. It is celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide and has been observed for over 3,000 years across regions including the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus and parts of Eastern Euro

Analysis

Is Syria’s Sharaa poised to outdo Turkey in formalizing gains for Kurds?

Damascus is making limited but tangible progress in its engagement with Syrian Kurds, even as Ankara seeks to shape the terms of any settlement.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

A armed Kurdish Peshmerga of the Komala party waves the Komala flag in a ceremony held in memory of Komala Martyrs' Day in Sidakan, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on March 17, 2021.

Interview

Despite Trump’s U-turns, US may still support Iran’s Kurds, says Komala’s Mohtadi

In an exclusive interview, the Komala leader discusses US backing, Kurdish ambitions and Trump’s shifting stance.

Abdulla Mohtadi

Leader of Komala

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) walks with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif upon his arrival during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on June 1, 2022. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Inside Turkey’s role in the US-Iran ceasefire

Turkey used its intelligence networks and rare access to both Washington and Tehran to quietly facilitate the US-Iran ceasefire while advancing its own regional security priorities.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Analysis

Hostage to Hormuz, can Gulf rewire future energy flows to bypass Iran’s chokepoint?

A police speed boat patrols the port as oil tankers and high speed crafts sit anchored at Muscat Anchorage near the Strait of Hormuz on March 30, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

How the Iran war is giving Turkey's Erdogan a big boost

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to MPs at his party's group meeting in the Turkish parliament on Jan. 21, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Analysis

Iran's first strike on Iraqi Kurdish forces since war began a warning to US allies

An Iranian Kurdish peshmerga member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran inspects the damage sustained at the Azadi Camp following an Iranian cross-border attack in the town of Koye, east of Erbil district, on March 3, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Exclusive

Iraqi oil flows to Turkey after US pledges role in Baghdad-Kurds customs dispute

A view of the oil refinery on March 17, 2026 in Erbil, Iraq.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Supporters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party celebrate with the KDP party flags during Iraq's parliamentary election in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, Oct. 10, 2021.

Kurdish leaders meet as Iraqi political deadlock continues

Iraq’s two major Kurdish parties have been trying to reach a compromise between the two, but to no avail.

Iraqi-Kurdistan

Pervin Chakar

Kurdish diva brokenhearted but resolute in face of language discrimination in Turkey

The "brutal" quashing of Kurdishness in Turkey continues to be state policy — even in entertainment.

Security forces deploy during a rally called for by the New Generation movement.

US 'concerned' about response to protests in Kurdistan Region

Press freedom issues are not new in the autonomous Iraqi region.

SAFIN HAMED/AFP via Getty Images

Tourist massacre marks turning point in Turkish-Iraqi ties

Iraq’s major political actors have all condemned Turkey over a deadly attack on a tourist site in what many believe signal a major downturn in bilateral ties.

Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government Masrour Barzani (R) welcomes Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, Sept. 10, 2020.

Kadhimi, Barzani meet in Baghdad to address oil, budget issues

Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, met July 24 with Iraqi officials in Baghdad, including Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, reportedly discussing the establishment of a new energy government for the Kurdistan Region.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L), Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (C) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan returns empty-handed from talks with Putin, Raisi

Erdogan fails to enlist Russian and Iranian support for a fresh Turkish military operation in Syria, but he remains bent on maintaining the pressure.

Gen. Mohammed al-Bayati, secretary of the Iraqi prime minister, visits those injured by Turkish shelling at a hospital in the city of Zakho.

Iraq says Turkey killed Arab tourists in artillery attack on Kurdistan resort

The attack, which Turkey denied in a statement, came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran to win Tehran's backing for a further invasion into northeastern Syria.

Turkish-backed Syrian rebel fighters are pictured in the border town of Azaz in the rebel-held northern part of Aleppo province.

Is Syrian government withdrawing from Tal Rifaat in favor of Turkey?

FSA forces are carrying out military maneuvers in preparation for the battle against Kurdish forces in Tal Rifaat, while Turkey is bringing in more reinforcements.

A couple holds hands for a wedding photo as they look at smoke rising over the district of Sur in Diyarbakir.

No respite for Kurds as Turkey's security forces ramp up repression

Musicians, newlyweds, journalists, and even restaurateurs are not immune to the Turkish government's repression of its Kurdish population.

Journalists at Gardenya FM radio return after a report to the station's studio in Arbat refugee camp, east of Sulaimaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, Nov. 3, 2020.

PKK threatens journalists, lawmakers in Kurdistan as regional tensions rise

The media and a member of the Kurdistan Region parliament have spoken out against threats and pressure from the PKK, as tensions and drone attacks increase.

Diyarbakir Kurds

Kurdish journalists in southeast Turkey still uncharged after week in jail

Colleagues of 20 detained journalists say they believe their arrests are tied to Turkey’s planned military operation against Syrian Kurdish militants.

Barham Salih, prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Government, speaks during a conference of Kurdistan-Iraq Oil and Gas forum, Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, Nov. 13, 2011.

Dispute over Iraqi Kurdistan's energy resources ramps up

The Iraqi Ministry of Oil has announced plans to establish a new oil company for the Kurdistan Region.