Kurds

Iraqi President Barham Salih meets with UK Prime Minister, Theresa May (unseen), on June 25, 2019, in London, England.

Barham Salih slated to become first Kurd and Iraqi to lead UNHCR

Barham Salih — former Iraqi president of Iraq and widely respected politician in Washington — has been formally nominated to become the next UN high commissioner for refugees.

Syrian Kurds, fleeing from north of Aleppo, arrive in Tabqa, on the western outskirts of Raqa, on Dec. 4, 2024.

Feature

Kurds from Syria's Afrin languish in camps as Sharaa, SDF remain unreconciled

One year after Assad’s fall, displaced Kurds from Afrin remain in camps such as Azadi, facing harsh conditions, property disputes and an uncertain future amid stalled talks with Damascus and ongoing Turkish-backed faction activity.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Syrian Kurds lift placards and flags during a rally calling for an autonomous administration and Kurdish rights in Syria's predominantly Kurdish northeastern city of Qamishli, on Sept. 17, 2025.

Ankara: Jailed PKK chief favors unitary Syria, no separate Kurdish defense force

The militant leader called for “police-like” security units in Syrian Democratic Forces areas during his landmark meeting with a Turkish parliamentary delegation, according to a transcript summary.

KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (R) and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (L) meet in Irbil on April 12, 2025.

Exclusive

Iraq's Kurds air fury over PM Sudani's stance after attack on gas field

“We were shocked at Sudani’s audacity. Imagine the state we would have been in had he gotten his way,” a senior Iraqi Kurdish official speaking not for attribution told Al-Monitor.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Analysis

PKK leader Ocalan gains legitimacy in Turkey, bigger sway over Syria’s Kurds

People take part in a demonstration to call for the liberation of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan outside the European Council in Strasbourg, eastern France, on Sept. 15, 2025.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Exclusive

SDF commander Hemo: Syria’s Kurds prepare for threat of war as Damascus talks falter

Sipan Hemo

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Erdogan's top ally calls for release of Kurdish leader amid speculation of rift

A man holds a portrait of Selahattin Demirtas during a gathering of Turkish Kurds for Nowruz celebrations marking the New Year of the Persian calendar and the first day of spring, Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, March 21, 2025.

Syria’s Shibani says no concrete progress in integration talks with Kurds

DAMASCUS, SYRIA - DECEMBER 30: Syria's newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani during a press conference after a meeting between the Syrian leadership and a Ukrainian delegation to help strengthen ties between the two countries on December 30, 2024 in Damascus, Syria. Syria is transitioning after the fall of the Baath regime and the Assad family's rule, with a temporary administration now in place in Damascus and Aleppo. (Photo by Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and his delegation meet with President of the Kurdistan region in Iraq Nechirvan Barzani in the VIP terminal at Erbil International Airport in Erbil, Iraq November 23, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC29HD9C15KU

Iraq's Kurds weigh opportunities, risks in wake of Soleimani killing

Can the Kurdistan Regional Government help out the United States as it faces Iraqi anger over the Soleimani killing, and does the KRG want to risk doing so?

Will Kurds find a ray of hope in 2020?

Amid a staggering rise in the US dollar exchange rate and Turkey's control of Serekaniye and Kari Sapi, Kurds find it hard to feel the joy of this year’s Christmas and New Year’s festivities.

Iranian sculptor builds statues for humanity, not auctions

For over four decades, Iranian Kurdish sculptor Hadi Ziaoddini has sought to keep his art human and untainted by profit and politics.

IDLIB, SYRIA - DECEMBER 13: A drone photo shows an aerial view of the mud covered road and tents at a refugee camp, where Syrian refugees live, after heavy rain at winter season in northeastern Idlib, Syria on December 13, 2019. Syrian refugees, who have been living in the camp, face flooding, mud and puddles due to lack of infrastructure and sewerage network. (Photo by Muhammed Said/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Residents in northeast Syria brace for winter as oil smugglers thrive

While Deir ez-Zor is shipping oil other places thanks in part to a man named Hyena, many of its residents are suffering from poverty and the cold.

Quran manuscript a 'blessing' for an Iranian Kurdish village

A centuries-old manuscript of the Quran continues to play a central role in the identity of residents of an Iranian village.

Israelis protest in support of the Kurdish people opposite to the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel October 13, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC17449A4DA0

Israel’s love of Kurds weaponized by their foes

Israel's support of Kurdish autonomy in Syria is not always welcomed — at least publicly — by Syria's Kurds.

Turkey’s Kurdish sweep backfires

President Erdogan’s Syria plan has had unintended ramifications: Saudi Arabia and the UAE are now cozying up to the Kurds, the Kurds are uniting, and the Russians are guiding the solutions on the ground.

Syria’s Kurdish parties do not see eye to eye

While Syria's Kurds call for a unified political project to manage Kurdish territories, they remain confused about the differences between the Kurdish National Council and the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Mazloum Kobani, Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) commander in chief, talks as he announces the destruction of Islamic State's control of land in eastern Syria, at al-Omar oil field in Deir Al Zor, Syria March 23, 2019. - RC1F71152EF0

SDF woos Syrian Kurdish rivals in wake of Turkish assault

Could the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish-backed Kurdish National Council, long at loggerheads, come to an accord in the wake of Turkey's invasion of Kurdish-administered areas of Syria?

Peshmerga unity depends on healing political divisions

Corruption and tribalism are two of the obstacles blocking the unification of Kurdish peshmerga forces.

Trump and Erdogan: A transatlantic love affair

Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Donald Trump of the United States get along very well but appear to achieve little for the countries' long-term relationship.

As Iraqi calls to amend constitution rise, Kurds fear loss of political gains

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is concerned that forthcoming Iraqi constitutional amendments will diminish their rights and lead to the loss of Kirkuk.