Kurds

US soldiers patrol in Syria's northeastern city Qamishli, in the Hasakah province, mostly controlled by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, on Jan. 9, 2025.

Senate defense spending bill would restrict US troop drawdown from Syria

Washington plans to zero out stipends for Iraqi Kurdistan’s peshmerga forces but will continue funding Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces through 2026.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Fighters with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) line up to put their weapons into a pit during a ceremony in Sulaimaniyah, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, on July 11, 2025.

Kurdish militants return abducted Turkish agents as fragile peace push continues

The handover is seen as a confidence-building measure, as Erdogan seeks a deal with militants to secure Kurdish support for extending his presidency beyond 2028.

Members of the Lebanese Kurdish community wave the flags of (L to R) the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), Women's Protection Units (YPJ), another showing jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan, and the flag of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), during a celebration marking the spring festival of Nowruz (Noruz) in Lebanon's coastal town of Damour, 24 kilometers south of Beirut, on March 24, 2019.

Analysis

Can Turkey dismantle PKK, push SDF integration while rewriting rules in Syria?

Ankara hopes for the PKK's disarmament and the SDF's integration under Damascus, but skepticism and risks remain.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Mazlum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria, on April 26, 2025.

Analysis

Emboldened by Suwayda fallout, Syria’s Kurds hold their ground with Damascus

The Suwayda crisis boosts Kurdish confidence and threatens Erdogan’s bid to secure Kurdish support for a third term.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

US envoy, Syria FM meet in Paris, seek Kurdish integration deal

US Syria envoy Tom Barrack, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani meet in Paris on July 25, 2025.

Syria turns to Turkey for military support as US envoy urges strategy rethink

Syrian security forces stand guard in front of the heavily damaged Syrian army and defense ministry headquarters complex in Damascus, following Israeli strikes on July 16, 2025.

2 Iranian border guards killed in Kurdistan province: What to know

A general view shows the Iranian-Iraqi border crossing point of Bashmakh in the Kurdistan province, March 3, 2007.

‘We will intervene’: Turkey’s Fidan warns against dividing Syria

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 16: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout image provided by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) are seen as Ukrainian, American and Russian delegates meet for peace talks at the office of Turkish President in Dolmabahce Palace on May 16, 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey. Under pressure from the United States to

Bedouin fighters are seen on the streets of al-Mazraa village in Syria's southern Suwayda governorate on July 18, 2025, in Suwayda, Syria.

Suwayda violence boosts Kurds’ leverage as US Syria envoy, SDF chief meet

Syria's Kurds remain hesitant about integration with Damascus as interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa struggles with unrest in Suwayda.

Iraqi workers tend to a pipe at the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline in Karkuk, northern Iraq, Dec. 1, 2000.

Why Turkey plans to end its 52-year oil pipeline deal with Iraq

The Turkish decree stipulated that the 1973 Turkey-Iraq Crude Oil Pipeline Agreement — along with all amendments to the deal — would be terminated effective July 27, 2026.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa shake hands during a joint press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, on Feb. 4, 2025. — OZAN KOSE/Getty

Analysis

Suwayda clashes stoke Turkey's fears of Kurdish gains, Syria's fragmentation

Amid Israeli strikes and sectarian violence, Turkey is doubling down on preserving Syrian territorial integrity, hoping to manage refugee returns and prevent Kurdish autonomy.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Fighters from Bedouin tribes gather near a burning building in al-Mazraa village, in Syria's southern Suwayda governorate, as clashes with Druze gunmen continue, on July 18, 2025.

Turkey on edge as clashes continue in Syria's Suwayda, Kurds weigh next move

Turkey fears a deepening ethnic fracture in Syria could redraw the regional map — and embolden its own Kurdish population.

SAFIN HAMID/AFP via Getty Images

Drone strike halts operations at Iraqi Kurdistan oil field: What to know

A second drone attack in as many days has suspended operations at an oil facility in Iraqi Kurdistan, with initial investigations pointing to Iran-aligned armed groups.

Barrack and Sharaa

'One road to Damascus': Syria's Kurds recoil as US envoy urges deal with Sharaa

Tom Barrack’s call for Kurdish integration under a central Syrian government reflects a shift in US policy, drawing concern from Kurdish leaders about their future autonomy.

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS - JUNE 25: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaks with President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L), as they arrive for the North Atlantic Council Plenary Session on the second day of the 2025 NATO Summit on June 25, 2025 in The Hague, Netherlands. Among other matters, members are to approve a new defense investment plan that raises the target for defense spending to 5% of GDP. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Analysis

From Caucasus to Iraq: How Israel’s war hands Turkey edge over Iran

After the war with Israel, a wounded Iran opens new doors for Turkey from Iraq to the Caucasus, but advancing its agenda could rekindle their rivalry.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

STEPHANIE LECOCQ/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Will Israel seize opportunity for rapprochement with Syria?

Signs indicate that Israel might have a rare opportunity to hold productive dialogue with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and advance a security deal with Damascus.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

An Iraqi Kurdish man holds a flag with the portrait of jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan during a demonstration in the northern Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah on Oct. 10, 2019 against the Turkish offensive in northeastern Syria.

Turkey's spy chief heads for Iraq as PKK militants prepare to disarm

The planned weapons handover marks a major step in Turkey’s quiet bid to end the PKK’s decades-long insurgency and secure Kurdish political support for constitutional reform.

A US soldier keeps watch during a patrol in Syria's northeastern city Qamishli, in the Hasakeh province, mostly controlled by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on Jan. 9, 2025.

Exclusive

US troops in Syria's Kurdish northeast will remain in single base near Rmeilan oil fields

The consolidation comes as tensions rise between Iran and Israel, heightening risks for remaining US forces.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Kurdish Syrians demonstrate in the Syrian eastern city of Qamishli to demand the release of the jailed founder of the Kurdistan Workers Party, Abdullah Ocalan, in Turkey, on May 29, 2025.

Exclusive

Ankara’s direct talks with Syrian Kurds began last year in Europe, continue in Turkey

The talks are part of a sweeping effort to end Turkey’s decades-long war with the PKK and reshape Ankara’s relationship with Kurdish-led forces in Syria.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

US Syria envoy Barrack calls Kurdish SDF chief Kobane as Turkey mulls meeting

Sources tell Al-Monitor that Turkish officials have proposed a high-level meeting with SDF commander Mazlum Kobane in Damascus, contingent on the outcome of ongoing talks with Syria’s interim government.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture