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Turkey’s attack on Syrian Kurds could overturn the entire region | Gareth Stansfield
The new front is not just a local conflict: it could lead to a broader Kurdish revolt that redraws the map. The west must finally decide what it wants to achieve in the Middle East or other players will benefit<p>In whichever state they live, the Kurds endure a perilous existence. In Iran, the Kurdish …
Turkey’s optimistic plans in Iraq seem to be faltering
The partnership Turkey, Iran and Iraq formed against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) independence referendum in September has left Tehran …
Border CrossingsTwilight of the Kurds
A Syrian girl waves a Kurdish flag in support of the independence referendum in Iraq in Qamishli, Syria, on Sept. 25, 2017. (Delil …
How ISIS Changed the Yezidi Religion
Those who went into exile have creatively adapted their rituals. Those who stayed have been just as innovative.<p>BEHZANE, IRAQ—On a recent Friday afternoon, Yezidi musicians led a procession of worshipers toward a newly rebuilt temple on a hillside in northern Iraq. Women burned incense and the …
‘Somebody had to tell these stories’: An Iraqi woman’s ordeal as an ISIS sex slave
By Anne-Marie O'Connor<p>LONDON — Islamic State militants have lost the last of their strongholds, but for Yazidi survivor Nadia Murad, a new battle is just beginning.<p>Three years after escaping militants in northern Iraq, Murad is unveiling a harrowing memoir, "The Last Girl," about her ordeal as a …
YazidisInternal Divides Behind the Kurdistan Referendum
On September 25, Iraqi Kurds voted in a referendum on independence. According to the Kurdistan Independent High Electoral and Referendum Commission …
Iran wary of Trump’s plans in Iraqi Kurdistan
More than two weeks after the Sept. 25 independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iran has yet to take any meaningful action against the Kurdish …
Middle EastPeshmerga Command: ‘Foreign-backed' Iraqi army, Shiite forces prepare to attack Kirkuk
<b>11:41 pm</b><p><b>US working to prevent conflict in Kirkuk</b><p>The US Departments of State and Defense are both working to prevent conflict between Iraqi and …
Iraq conflict: Peshmerga 'deadline to leave Kirkuk' passes
<b>A deadline allegedly set by Iraq's central government for Kurdish fighters to withdraw from key sites in the disputed city of Kirkuk has passed.</b><p>Kurdish security officials said the deadline had been set for early on Sunday but Iraqi authorities denied it.<p>Some reports now suggest the deadline has …
Iraqi, Kurd forces in Kirkuk standoff as tensions rise
Thousands of Iraqi soldiers and allied militia are locked in an armed standoff with Kurdish forces in the disputed oil province of Kirkuk amid a sharp row between Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq.<p>A senior Kurdish official on Saturday said Iraq's central government had given …
Tension grips Iraqi Kurdish region post-referendum
The spokesman of Iraq's state-sanctioned paramilitaries has issued a stern warning to Masoud Barzani while saying his fighters have no immediate plans to take military action against the Kurdish leader.<p>Karim al-Nouri, spokesman for the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), has accused the president of …
Kurds on high alert as Iraqi forces mass near Kirkuk
The Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) has deployed thousands of troops around the disputed oil city of Kirkuk for fear of an attack by Iraqi government army and militia, a senior official said.<p>"Thousands of heavily armed peshmerga units are now completely in their positions around Kirkuk," a top …
Iraq seeks to take control of Kurdistan mobile phone operators
Cell phone tower. Photo: Courtesy of Brandon/flickr<p><b>BAGHDAD</b>,— The Iraqi government will seek to impose control over Kurdistan-based mobile phone …
Iraqi VP warns of ‘civil war’ over Kurdish-held Kirkuk
BAGHDAD: Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi on Monday warned there could be a “civil war” over the Kurdish-administered city of Kirkuk if talks over …
ISIS beheads Arab chief in Diyala who supported referendum
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – An Arab chieftain from Diyala province appears to have been beheaded by ISIS militants after appearing in a video …
Ankara's KRG move and what it means for Turkey's domestic politics
The Kurdish population in Turkey should not be abandoned during the process of dealing with the KRG, closing the doors on any possibility of …
Can Putin stop Erdogan from shutting down Iraqi Kurdish pipeline?
In a visit to Tehran, Turkish president coordinates next steps with Iranian leaders; Cengiz Candar on the loss of former Iraqi President Jalal …
IraqSpeaker’s visit to Kurds divides Iraqi Parliament
Comments<p>Your feedback is important to us!<p>We invite all our readers to share with us their views and comments about this article.<p>Disclaimer: Comments …
Tensions Rise Between Iraqis and Kurds After Referendum
As the threat of ISIS recedes, the risk that Iraqi and Kurdish forces could clash in the future is growing<p>DAQUQ, Iraq—For more than three years, the weapons along a front line held by Kurdish forces in northern Iraq have been aimed at Islamic State militants occupying the nearby city of Hawija.<p>Now, …
KRG calls for dialogue to settle differences with Iraq
By Ali Sheikho<p><b>ERBIL</b><p>President of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), Masoud Barzani, on Saturday called for dialogue to settle unresolved issues …
Iran sees challenge of Kurdish referendum as opportunity
After being taken aback by the Kurdish independence vote, Iran is now evolving to view the referendum as an opportunity to forge practical …
ReferendumsIraq’s Kurds need to put democracy before independence
By Editorial Board<p>THE LEADERS of Iraq's Kurdistan region are suffering considerable consequences for their reckless staging of a referendum on independence late last month. The Iraqi government has teamed up with Turkey and Iran to impose tough sanctions, including a ban on international flights …
Jalal Talabani laid to rest in Sulaimaniyah funeral
A funeral with full military honours has been held in northern Iraq for veteran Kurdish leader, Jalal Talabani.<p>The 83-year old former president of Iraq was in a coma when he died in a German hospital on Tuesday.<p>His body was flown home from Germany to the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah, his hometown, …
Are Shia Dynamics in Iraq and Lebanon Turning Against Iran?
Despite Hezbollah's powerful influence over Lebanon, much of the country's Shia community looks to the Iraqi holy city of Najaf for religious …
Erdogan says Turkey will close Iraq border and air space soon
ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that Turkey would soon close its border with northern Iraq and shut its air space in response to last week’s Kurdish independence referendum.<p>Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends opening ceremony of Recep Tayyip Erdogan Imam Hatip …
Unraveling the Oil Geopolitics Intertwined in the Kurdish Independence Referendum
For over a decade, U.S. efforts to promote stability across the Middle East have run afoul of many complexities. The recent independence referendum …
Kurdish referendum tests Iran-Turkey-Russia axis
TEHRAN, Iran — Less than two months after Iran’s Chief of General Staff Maj. Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri paid a rare official visit to Ankara, his …
Middle EastErdogan: Iraq, Iran, Turkey to decide together on shutting down Kurdistan’s oil
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq, Iran, and Turkey are solidifying their unity against the Kurdistan Region, threatening joint action to shut down the …
Paris ready to mediate between Iraq, Kurds: Macron
<b>French President Emmanuel Macron says Paris is ready for mediation between Iraq and its Kurdish region seeking secession from the mainland,</b> …
The case for Kurdish independence
One thing is clear: if the US continues to neglect its “friends” and allies in the region – those on the front line in the fight against ISIS – the …
Middle East