Kurdistan

Watch: Turkish base obliterated after ammo depot explodes

Seven Turkish soldiers were killed and more than 25 wounded when an artillery ammunition depot exploded last week. The military base was located in Hakkari Province, in southeastern Turkey. Hakkari borders both Iraq and Iran. Turkish military forces stationed there have been conducting counterinsurgency operations against the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK). This is not a […]

Early Christmas this year? For some nations, yes

This year, Father Christmas is arriving quite early for some. Syria, India, and Turkey will all be receiving ‘boxes’ full of Russian goodies. The first has received the S-300 surface-to-air missile system. India and Turkey, on the other hand, have signed agreements for the more advanced S-400 anti-air missile system. But the background behind each […]

Iraqi-Kurdistan’s President meets with Russian officials to discuss the region’s future

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Masoud Barzani expressed the region’s need for further relations with Russia during a meeting with Russian Federation Deputy Minister of Energy Pavel Sorokin this week in Erbil. Russia has been becoming increasingly involved in northern Iraq’s oil production industry, utilizing government-affiliated private companies to go after contracts in the region up for […]

Large grant given to Kurdistan for artifact preservation by United Kingdom

Original archaeological sites that hold significant historical value to the autonomous Kurdistan region have just been given a significant grant from the United Kingdom’s Cultural Protection Fund. The sites date back nearly 10,000 years, and the funding provided will assist with the documentation and damage accountability that has resulted from the recent conflict with the Islamic State. […]

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discusses Iraq’s future with Kurdistan’s president

The formation of a new government is on the horizon for Iraq and world leaders are taking note. Recently United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called autonomous Kurdistan regional President Masoud Barzani to discuss the current state of affairs in the region. The two leaders went over the need to continue bilateral consultations and relations […]

Hezbollah leader claims that United States will ‘sell out’ Syrian Kurds

Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has claimed that the United States intends to use the Kurds of Rojava before hanging them out to dry. Nasrallah addressed Kurdish officials staying the U.S. will “sell you out,” he claimed that their best option was to uphold negotiations with the Syrian regime and President Bashar al-Assad. On Sunday Nasrallah said that, “You do not know […]

Residents fight back against Iraq’s efforts to re-Arabize Kirkuk

An Iraqi governmental decree permitting Arab families to move onto Kirkuk provincial lands owned by Turkmen and Kurdish citizens has been delayed by the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture after an official inquiry was made. The order came down after a delegation of Kurdish and Turkmen officials from Kirkuk visited Baghdad to discuss the situation with Falah Hassan […]

Kurdistan and Iraq working together to solve the region’s water crisis

The water crisis in the country has pushed the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Iraqi central government to unite on the issue. Both entities are cooperating in an effort to find a scientific solution to the problem. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) director in Iraq, Louise Haxthausen stated that, “This project in […]

Kurdish militant groups call for unification against Turkish-Iranian alliance

The Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) has released a statement calling for a unified front against the Turkish and Iranian border elements. PJAK is a militant group that maintains a close relationship with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Prior to the announcement, Turkish and Iranian border officials made their intentions and “determination” to combat the two groups […]

Italian military to train Kurdistan’s military police

A total of 65 Kurdish military police officers from the Zeravani were selected to undergo a 6-week training event conducted and supervised by the Italian military. The goal of the training was to fine-tune the Zeravani’s capabilities in matters such as close protection, protest containment, and force protection operations. The Zervanai Command’s Brigadier General Dedawan Khurshid, […]

Kurdish held seats in parliament remain unchanged after recount of votes is completed

Iraq’s independent electoral body announced this week that there were no significant changes to the number of parliamentary seats following the recount of May’s election. This included those of the Kurdish political parties, which after national outcry, demanded a manual recount of the votes. Kurdish parties were up in arms claiming that fraudulent voting practices […]

Muqtada al-Sadr and the new Iraqi government

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has had a fairly successful track record up to this point despite some serious issues the country has faced during his time in office. Muqtada al-Sadr’s spokesman, Sheikh Salah al-Obeidi, claims that Abadi’s predecessor Nouri al-Maliki stands no chance whatsoever though. Maliki’s failures led to the rise of the Islamic State through his severe transgressions against […]