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

Ocalan

Iraqi Kurds lend hand as PKK leader negotiates plan for peace with Turkey

Abdullah Ocalan is expected to urge his men to lay down their arms and end a more than 40-year insurgency against the Turkish state, capping talks launched in April last year between the rebel leader, PKK commanders and the Turkish government.

Sharaa Kobane

Analysis

Squeezed between Turkey and Sharaa, Syria's Kurds face stark choices

Syria’s Kurds risk losing autonomy amid Turkish opposition and uncertain US backing.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

A fighter of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) aims a machine gun while lying prone during a joint military exercise with forces of the US-led "Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve" coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group in the countryside of the town of al-Malikiya (Derik in Kurdish) in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on Sept. 7, 2022.

Turkey escalates push to replace Kurds as top anti-ISIS force in Syria

Turkey is attempting to form a new coalition to combat ISIS remnants and replace the Pentagon-backed Kurdish forces in Syria.

People carry a banner during a march demanding truth and justice for Kurdish activists, Paris, Jan. 11, 2025.

27 Kurdish civilians, activists arrested in Iran following protests

After protests over the death sentences of Kurdish political prisoners, Iranian authorities arrested at least 27 people across the Kurdistan region.

DEM Party co-chair Tuncer Bakirhan (C) walks with party members and attendees during a rally organized by the pro-Kurdish Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party

PKK leader airs cautious optimism after talks with Turkey's pro-Kurdish party

The Kurdish militant leader expressed hope for a peaceful solution to the country’s 40-year armed conflict after four-hour talks with the pro-Kurdish party.

A fighter of the the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army faction watches a plume of smoke erupt from bombardment at a position near the Tishrin Dam in the vicinity of Manbij, in the east of Syria's northern Aleppo province, on January 10, 2025 amidst ongoing battles with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The latest reported fighting comes despite the US on December 8 saying that it was working to address Turkey's concerns in Syria to dissuade the NATO ally from escalating an offensive against

Analysis

Disarmament and political shift: What Turkey would accept from Syria's SDF

The fall of the Assad dynasty has changed Turkey's calculus on how to deal with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed reiterated the UAE's firm position in safeguarding Syria's unity and sovereignty during talks with Asaad Al Shibani, Syrian Foreign Minister, in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Wam

Analysis

Despite aversion to Islamism, UAE slowly embraces change in Syria

Abu Dhabi is adjusting to the idea of a more Islamist governance in Syria as it cautiously navigates the new reality after Assad's fall and a growing influence for Turkey.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

A Syrian rebel fighter fires rounds as people celebrate near the New Clock Tower in the central city of Homs on Dec. 8, 2024.

Analysis

Middle East turns 2024 page with new Syria order, Israel's multi-front war

Hamas and Hezbollah experienced major losses at the hands of Israel in 2024, while the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria sent shockwaves throughout the region.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Supporters of the Kurdish community demonstrate with flags and banners on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the arrest of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan on the banks of the Rhine river in Cologne, western Germany, on Feb. 17, 2024.

Turkey allows pro-Kurdish DEM party to meet with jailed PKK leader Ocalan

The permission comes as part of the government’s tentative Kurdish opening.

People hold a banner featuring Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as members of the Syrian community and supporters gather to celebrate the fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the face of an offensive by Islamist-led rebels, in Istanbul's Fatih district on December 8, 2024. Islamist-led rebels toppled Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive that a UN envoy called "a watershed moment" for the nation marred by civil war. (Photo by KEMAL ASLAN / AFP) (Photo by KEMAL ASLAN/AF

Analysis

'We may end up missing Assad': Israel grapples with Turkey’s rising influence in Syria

Reports of Turkish preparations to invade northern Syria, coupled with Israeli officials’ statements of support for the Kurds, further strain the already tense relationship between the leaders of Israel and Turkey.

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

Fighters of Turkish-supported forces are positioned on the Buwayhij-Boughaz-Korhoyuk frontline on the outskirts of Manbij in northeastern Syria, as they fight with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Sept. 6, 2023.

Turkey-backed Syrian factions end US-mediated ceasefire with Kurdish-led SDF

Sources told Al-Monitor that negotiations between the sides had “failed” amid “significant military buildups” on the Turkish border.

A fighter prepares mortar ammunition as Turkish-supported forces deploy on the Buwayhij-Boughaz-Korhoyuk frontline on the outskirts of Manbij in northeastern Syria, as they fight with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Sept. 6, 2023.

Syria’s Kurds under opposition assault as Erdogan vows to protect Turkey from 'terror'

Clashes are intensifying as Turkey-backed forces push up against Kurdish fighters.