The nation of Turkey has recently announced its call for a ceasefire in Syria, asking Bashar Assad to resolve the disputes with his people and speak with his adversaries. At a joint news conference in Ankara which included Hakan Fidan and his Iranian counterpart, Hakan said that Turkey and Iran would be continuing diplomatic efforts, despite the fact that the… Read more »
On October 6th, President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of the United States troops from Syria on Twitter. Trump made it one of his campaign promises to remove all U.S. troops from Syria. As a result of the removal of U.S. troops, Turkey has launched military offensives with air strikes and ground offensives into Syria, causing thousands of Syrians to… Read more »
Recently, the Kurdish nation has been making strides on the international scene disproportionate to its relatively small population and land area. In Iraq, the Autonomous Region has maintained a degree of control over the Kirkuk oil fields, even as they’ve opened them for export. In Turkish Kurdistan, the PKK has continued to stand against Ankara. Most significantly, though, Rojava has… Read more »
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Ankara on Saturday rejected American plans to install military observation posts along its border with Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), a fledgling US-allied de facto entity whose destruction it has long sought. “We have stated that the observation points to be established by US troops on the Syrian border will have a very negative impact,” Turkish Defense Minister… Read more »
AFRIN (Kurdistan 24) – At least 25 militants have been killed and dozens more wounded on Sunday in heavy clashes between Turkish-backed insurgent factions in the northwestern Syrian city of Afrin, a war monitor said. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said fighting in several districts of Afrin erupted between the Olive Branch groups, backed by the Turkish… Read more »
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – US forces have deployed along the border between Rojava and Turkey to deter Turkish aggression against Kurdish forces, according to multiple sources. On Friday, US forces started “patrolling on the border… to ease tensions and stop Turkey from launching attacks,” Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) media representative Mustafa Bali stated. This week, Turkish forces have targeted Kurdish… Read more »
WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan 24) – Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq and Iran, Andrew Peek, explained on Wednesday that the US was strongly urging the Iraqi government to resume the export of oil from Kirkuk to Turkey. Those exports were cut off last year after Iraqi forces, in a military operation engineered by Qasim Soleimani, head of the Quds… Read more »
Recently, much of the news focus in the Middle East has been focused on a very specific series of events: the Khashoggi killing. While this focus is entirely justified, it does still cast some very significant headlines to the sidelines. I’m going to be focusing on the important news coming out of Iraq and Kurdistan, and things related to the… Read more »
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkey would like to work more closely with Iraq to combat “terrorists.”
By The Jerusalem Post As the Turkish offensive in Afrin stretches into its second month, the Kurds are disappointed at the lack of Western response. Since the offensive began in January, villages in Afrin have been shelled and others hit by air strikes. This has led the Assad regime to send its own militia into the province, and to fears… Read more »