Kurds

Members of Syrian security forces at the entrance of the al-Hol camp in the desert region of Hasakah province which holds around 24,000 people, including some 6,200 women and children from around 40 nationalities on Jan. 21, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Feature

Syrian Kurds say US ignored pleas for help as ISIS detainees turned on them in al-Hol

Chaos at al-Hol during clashes between Kurdish forces and Damascus underscored the widening security vacuum amid Kurdish claims of US abandonment.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Syrian Democratic Forces fighters stand on a pick-up truck to provide security during an inspection of SDF positions on the Tell Brak frontline in Syria on Jan. 26, 2026.

France's role in Syria-SDF agreement: What to know

French diplomatic sources highlight the role played by Paris in recent months in reaching an agreement between the Sharaa government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani meets the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, in Erbil on Monday.

Iraq's Shiite bloc holds talks with Kurds as deadlock on president, PM persists

The Shiite-led Coordination Framework reiterated its support for former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Saturday, despite vocal criticism by US President Donald Trump of the former premier.

Kurdish security forces patrol the street on Jan. 23, 2026 in Qamishli, Syria.

Analysis

Kurds, Damascus step back from brink as SDF signs fresh deal with Syrian government

After intense US-led diplomacy, Syria’s interim government and the Kurdish-led SDF agreed to a ceasefire and phased integration, averting all-out conflict.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Interview

YPG spokesman: Syrian forces' strategy is to isolate Kurdish towns and cities

Siyamend Ali

Siyamend Ali

Siyamend Ali

YPG spokesman

Feature

ISIS brides face uncertain future as Damascus clashes with Syria’s Kurds

Roj Camp

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Syria-Kurd deal hinges on SDF integration as Barrack meets Kobane

Kobane

What Israel stands to lose in Syria-SDF agreement

Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images

A picture shows election flags displaying imprisoned Selahattin Demirtas.

Turkey’s jailed Kurdish leader quits active politics after Erdogan’s victory

Selahattin Demirtas' announcement comes amid heated public debate over whether Kemal Kilicdaroglu would resign after he was defeated by President Erdogan in Sunday’s runoff.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 25: People walk past an election campaign poster for Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on May 25, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey. The country is holding its first presidential runoff election after neither candidate earned more than 50% of the vote in the May 14 election. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Erdogan vs. Kilicdaroglu: What to expect in Turkey's first ever election runoff

Though polls give a lead to the incumbent president, a victory by the main opposition leader in Sunday’s presidential runoff seems still possible depending on a combination of challenging factors.

Supporters draped in the flags of the AKP, the Turkish flag and the image of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey Elections: Kurds, far-right rally behind Kilicdaroglu ahead of Sunday’s vote

Refuting speculation, Turkey’s largest Kurdish political movement announced it would continue to support the main opposition leader despite his alliance with the far right.

Passengers, who were stranded following the border closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, wait to cross into Iraqi Kurdistan from the Syrian side of the Semalka border crossing in northeast Syria, July 29, 2020.

Intra-Kurdish tensions paralyze northeast Syria’s main border crossing

Northeast Syria’s only external border crossing closed abruptly May 17 for an unknown period, disrupting trade, medical corridors and humanitarian access to the area.

Karwan Gaznay

Iraqi Kurdish politician survives assassination attempt

Tensions have been high for months between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, though recent dialogue may have calmed the situation.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein gives a joint press conference with his German counterpart at the foreign ministry headquarters in Baghdad on March 7, 2023. (Photo by Murtaja LATEEF / AFP) (Photo by MURTAJA LATEEF/AFP via Getty Images)

Iraqi FM expects continuity in ties with Turkey, no matter who wins election

Fuad Hussein says TotalEnergies deal “would change character of Iraqi economy,” discusses relations with the United States, Iran, Syria and Arab states.

Workers at the Northern Oil Company carry out maintenance work at the pumping station in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

Iraq asks Turkey to resume oil exports as firms in Kurdistan region scale back

Turkey has still yet to restart oil flows from northern Iraq following a controversial court ruling despite efforts by Iraqi and Kurdish authorities. The stoppage is threatening the Kurdistan Region’s oil sector.

Kobane

Syria’s Kurds turn to UAE to ease tensions with Assad

An alleged trip to the UAE capital by Syrian Democratic Forces chief Mazloum Kobane, which Emirati officials deny, came just before he was targeted by a Turkish drone last month.

Kurdish Syrians protest the death of victims reportedly killed in a Turkish drone bombing the previous day, on Nov. 10, 2021 in the Syrian Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli.

Syria’s Kurds make their own pitch as Arab states court Assad

Syrian Kurds, whom Bashar al-Assad once labeled “traitors” and “collaborators,” now seek a new peace with the Syrian government.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Fresh Turkey strikes in Syria kill 10 Kurdish militants: Ankara

Turkish troops have killed 10 Kurdish militants in a cross-border escalation ongoing since the weekend, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

In Turkey, Erdogan challenger attracts solid Kurdish support, a decisive vote

Turkey’s opposition leader is likely to receive crucial Kurdish support in his bid to unseat Erdogan in the May 14 polls, but a victory for the opposition remains far from assured.

Mazloum Abdi (Kobani), commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), attends a meeting with other commanders and representatives of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) group, in the northwestern Syrian city of Hasakah, in the province of the same name, on Aug. 24, 2019.

Interview

US-backed Syrian Kurdish leader Mazlum Kobane says Turkey's attempt on life not the first

Speaking exclusively to Al-Monitor, the commander in chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would do "anything to reach power again" as Turkey prepares for elections next month.

Mazlum Kobane

Mazlum Kobane

SDF commander in chief