Kurdish controlled syria

Iraqi Kurdistan emerges as a key diplomatic bridge between US and Iran - analysis

Nechirvan Barzani’s ties with Washington, Tehran and regional Kurdish actors have positioned Iraqi Kurdistan as a key diplomatic bridge.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Nechirvan Barzani, the regional president of Iraqi Kurdistan, delivers a speech after casting his ballot in Arbil, the capital of Iraqi's northern autonomous Kurdish region, on November 11, 2025.
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government headed by Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister, at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.

Iraq's PM arrives in Washington as US presses Baghdad on Iran-backed militias - analysis

Iraq is already a kind of frontline between the US and Iran. After the US and Israel began strikes on Iran on February 28, the Iranians operationalized militias in Iraq.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq February 12, 2026.

The strategic misjudgment of the Kurdish factor in Iran’s war - opinion

While Washington initially expressed rhetorical support for the Kurdish opposition, it later issued more cautious messages discouraging active Kurdish involvement in the conflict.

|ByVEYSI DAG
Children hold signs on the day Syrian Kurds demonstrate to mark Kurdish Language Day, demanding constitutional recognition of the Kurdish language by the Syrian government, in Qamishli, Syria, May 14, 2026.

Syria’s limited Kurdish election exposes limits of Damascus’s democratic transition - analysis

Syria had already held types of limited elections in other areas of Syria last year. However, areas outside government control did not hold a vote.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Turkey intensifies Syria campaign as Islamic State strikes Kurds

The Kurds, who recaptured swathes of northeastern Syria from Islamic State with the backing of the United States, say the Turkish assault could allow the jihadist group to re-emerge.

OCTOBER 11, 2019ByREUTERS
Turkish army tanks manoeuver as Turkish Kurds watch over the Syrian town of Kobani

Editor's Notes: Trump’s new order, abandoning allies

“[They] didn’t help us in the Second World War, they didn’t help us with Normandy…” they fought “for their land,” Trump said when asked about his decision to stab the Kurds in the back.

OCTOBER 10, 2019ByYAAKOV KATZ
Ras al-Ain as it is pictured from the Turkish town of Ceylanpinar.

Netanyahu warns against ‘ethnic cleansing of the Kurds’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Sunday against the Turkish invasion of the Kurdish parts in Syria and warned against violence against the Kurdish people.

OCTOBER 10, 2019ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi, Russia September 12, 2019.

Turkish forces seize targets in Syria offensive

"Our heroic commandos taking part in Operation Peace Spring are continuing to advance east of the Euphrates (river)," the Defence Ministry wrote on Twitter. "The designated targets were seized."

OCTOBER 10, 2019ByREUTERS
A Turkish military helicopter flies over as Turkish and U.S. troops return from a joint U.S.-Turkey patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale, Turkey, September 8, 2019

Kurds are the Evangelicals of the Muslim world

Why can’t we just listen to the Kurds?

OCTOBER 10, 2019ByMIKE EVANS
Iraqi Kurds wave flags of Iraqi Kurdistan during a demonstration

Rely on no one

Great and unmatched wisdom?

OCTOBER 10, 2019ByJPOST EDITORIAL
KURDISH MEMBERS of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan hike through the mountains from Iraq to Iran.

Turkey tells U.N. Security Council its Syria operation to be 'proportionate'

Turkey justified its action under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter, which covers an individual or collective right to self-defense against armed attack.

OCTOBER 10, 2019ByREUTERS
A view of areas where ISIS is still active, from the Kurdish Peshmerga frontline on Mount Qarachogh.

Turkey tells U.N. Security Council its Syria operation to be 'proportionate'

Turkey justified its action under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter, which covers an individual or collective right to self-defense against armed attack.

OCTOBER 10, 2019ByREUTERS
A view of areas where ISIS is still active, from the Kurdish Peshmerga frontline on Mount Qarachogh.

‘Look, you can see ISIS down there’: How ISIS operates in Iraq today

"The mountain is desert khaki, and in the sunset it has a bit of haze around it from oil fires in the distance. It’s surreal and beautiful."

SEPTEMBER 27, 2019BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A view of areas where ISIS is still active, from the Kurdish Peshmerga frontline on Mount Qarachogh.

U.S. hoping its security gamble with Turkey in Syria will pay off

On Saturday, the sixth aerial overflight by the US and Turkey took place in eastern Syria.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2019BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army fighters are seen near the city of Afrin, Syria