Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs claims that Iraq and Iran support anti-PKK operations

Turkish Minister of Foreign affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has declared that the Turkish military is not looking for support from Iraq or Iran in their anti-PKK operations in Qandil, Iraqi-Kurdistan. Çavuşoğlu told press that, “Iraq and Iran currently do not have any role. Iran made one or two comments but the bottom line is that what is happening […]

Iran asks Kurdistan to handle Kurdish opposition parties who are attacking its border

With the recent clashing between the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI) Peshmerga forces and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the Kurdistan Regional Government finds itself reassuring their northern Iranian neighbor. Tehran has expressed concern over cross border activities and militaristic action by Kurdish opposition groups, specifically the KDPI who maintain the strongest presence politically and […]

Thousands of Peshmerga gather in Kurdistan to protest bill that annuls their parliament votes

Yesterday members of the police, Peshmerga, and various security forces took to the streets of Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan in protest. Their votes were annulled for the recent Iraqi parliamentary election. Minister of Parliament and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Arez Abdulla attended the protest saying the “collective punishment” was an unjust action on the government’s part. He said […]

Kurdish PDKI soldiers kill Iranian Revolutionary Guards in direct action raid

The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) claims that their Peshmerga forces killed nine Iranian Revolutionary Guards and injured another eighteen during a firefight last week on the Iran-Iraq border. A statement made by the PDKI’s Peshmerga Central Command declared that the clash occurred in mountains of the Iranian controlled Shno region, a border city […]

Turkish fighter jets go after PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan and miss all targets

The Turkish military conducted several airstrikes across the Iraqi Kurdistan region yesterday and has claimed to have eliminated 12 PKK targets. Kurdish officials that have oversight of the areas targeted deny that there were any casualties nor was there a real damage to infrastructure. According to the Turkish military, the airstrikes were an attempt to […]

The problem with the Kurdish Peshmerga

Recently I have been speaking with many of the Kurds I had previously served alongside in the Kurdish Peshmerga military forces. Many have moved on to veteran status and found civilian jobs. Many feel disenfranchised with the Peshmerga because it is surrounded by family hookups and back door deals. Corruption is common practice among the […]

Syrian Kurds are ready for peace talks with Assad regime

The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) stated that they were prepared to engage in peace talks between themselves and the Syrian regime. The SDC is a political branch of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that is composed of Kurds and Arabs. The SDF and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime have been clashing in the southern reaches […]

A mercenary’s everyday carry for life in a conflict zone

When I was living in the world’s more chaotic corners, my exact daily carry of items often varied widely depending on circumstances. Typically, it centered around some key aspects that were pretty consistent though. These central components could change too — things were often situation dependent when abroad. I generally base an everyday carry (EDC) […]

PKK says conflict is inevitable should Turkey remain aggressive towards Kurdistan

Representatives from the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) are predicting intense clashes with Turkish military forces in the near future. PKK official Bahoz “The Doctor” Erdal told local media that, “Of course, we are in a state of war against the Turkish army. The escalation is in the upcoming days. We can say we are expecting […]

Hashd al-Shaabi demands Yezidi protection forces disarm

Iraqi paramilitary forces, the Hashd al-Shaabi militia, are demanding the Yezidi military forces lay down arms and have threatened them with force should they not comply. The Ezidixan Protection Forces commander, Haider Shasho, has stated that they will not disarm. Commander Shasho told local media that, The Ezidixan Protection Forces is an official force and has […]

Iraq government issues arrest warrant for Kurdish PUK official Rebwar Talabani

An arrest warrant for Kurdish political leader Rebwar Talabani has been issued by the central Iraqi government. Talabani is a high-ranking member and authority figure in the Patriotic union of Kurdistan (PUK) political party. The arrest warrant was issued because Rebwar Talabani was responsible for the organization of the Kurdistan independence referendum that ended catastrophically for […]