Kurdistan

The private sector and the rebuilding of the Middle East after ISIS

The U.S. Department of State is advocating the use of the private sector in the rebuilding and reconstruction of Syrian and Iraqi infrastructure in the wake of the war with the Islamic State. Rather than nation building as a government, they believe that privatizing the reformation process will be a far more feasible solution to […]

Kirkuk citizens flee their homes in fear of continued ISIS presence

Residents of Kirkuk’s southern territories have been abandoning their homes for fear of Islamic State attacks and kidnappings. They say that Iraqi security forces only maintain a presence within the main city and larger villages; that Hashdt al-Shaabi is not an acceptable anti-terrorism element and has not performed as a security force well. A resident […]

Coalition spokesman says Operation Inherent Resolve is suffering due to Turkish aggression

In a recent interview, US Army Colonel Ryan Dillon who is a spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve said that the Turkish military’s incursion into Afrin was directly affecting the coalitions efforts to combat the Islamic State. The Syrian Democratic Forces have recently relocated a large amount of their forces in an effort to defend Afrin, effectively […]

Iraq and Turkey lean toward future conflict over PKK

Turkey has put Iraq on edge with a bold campaign in Iraqi Kurdistan’s northern mountains where they have conducted airstrikes against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party), a long time enemy of Turkey and Operation Olive Branch in Syria. Iraq has made it clear that it does not want any help from Turkey with the foreign […]

Kurdistan strives to solve its water-based resource deficiency

The Iraqi-Kurdistan autonomous region is plagued with many serious infrastructural problems. Among them, the Kurdish Regional Government has stressed that the region’s water resources are dangerously deficient in legal guidelines for its conservation and security. A water conservation proposal was introduced by Kurdish parliament’s committee for agriculture and water resources in 2017, but is still […]

The SDF releases a statement in the wake of losing Afrin to Turkish forces

The Kurdish-Syrian city of Afrin has fallen to the Turkish army’s barrage of artillery and airstrikes paired with its FSA (Free Syrian Army) proxies and ground forces. The SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) and YPG (People’s protection Units) have been forced to pull back their conventional forces but are acknowledging an stage of the conflict is […]

British YPJ fighter killed in Afrin

A British citizen who was fighting on behalf of the Syrian Democratic Forces, under the YPJ, has been confirmed killed in Afrin by Turkish military forces. Anna Campbell was part of the all female YPJ militia and one of several foreign volunteer fighters to be killed during Operation Olive Branch since it’s start in January. […]

Kurdistan’s Counter Terror Group deployed to Kirkuk for Newroz

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) Counter Terror Group (CTG), an elite Peshmerga unit, was sent to Kirkuk via an armed convoy yesterday. CTG will be accompanying fellow Peshmerga commando units participating in the Newroz celebration being held in Kirkuk, a disputed city controlled almost entirely by Iraq and Iranian backed militias. They are scheduled […]

Halabja victim speaks out

While the Saddam-era regime is long gone, remnants of its victims still remain. Only eight months old, a small girl by the name of Maryam lost her identity to the Halabja chemical attack on the Kurds 30 years ago. Despite her quest to learn the truth behind her identity, her name and parents still remain […]

Flights to Kurdistan’s international airports are officially available, but not actually

International flights to and from Kurdistan have supposedly resumed. The Iraqi central government has sent teams to both Kurdistan airports that will control flight schedules, according to a press release. KRG Minister of Interior Karim Sinjari, Iraqi Minister of Interior Qasim al-Araji, and Bestun Zangana who is the head of the Transportation Committee for Iraqi parliament, […]

Kurdish guard receives life sentence for shooting government official

Bashdar Omer Faqe, an Iraqi Presidential Guard and member of the Kurdish Peshmerga, has been sentenced to life in prison for shooting and killing Saeer Kazim Akral, the assistant manager of the municipality in Dora neighbourhood in Baghdad, when Akral failed to stop at a checkpoint being manned by the Bashdar. The Iraqi court sentenced the guard […]