Turkish-Kurdish conflict

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani meets with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, in Ankara, Aug. 6, 2026.

Syria's Shibani updates Turkey on Kurds' integration, slams Israel during Ankara visit

The visit highlighted Ankara's growing influence in post-Assad Syria, with the two neighbors expanding strategic coordination on security and regional affairs.

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.

Analysis

How Turkey's PKK amnesty law entwines Kurds' hopes with Erdogan's ambitions

The first legislation to emerge from direct negotiations with Abdullah Ocalan offers a path to ending Turkey's war with the PKK while potentially giving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the votes he needs to remain in power for a third term.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Damascus, Aug. 3, 2026. IKRPresident/X

Iraqi Kurdish president’s meeting with Syria’s Sharaa signals shift in SDF dynamics

KRG President Nechirvan Barzani’s meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa underscored the Kurdistan Region’s growing role in Syria’s Kurdish politics.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets Iraq Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi upon his arrival in Ankara, July 28, 2026.

Explainer

Erdogan hosts Zaidi, touts ‘historic step’ in Turkey-Iraq energy ties

The Turkish president outlined Ankara’s priorities with the new Iraqi government during the Iraqi leader’s first visit to Turkey: security, energy cooperation and the Development Road.

Latest News

Zaidi to meet Erdogan as Turkey-Iraq ties take off, Kurds feel sidelined

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (not pictured) at the Pentagon on July 14, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.

Interview

PJAK leader mocks Iran’s claim Turkey spiked US Kurdish-backed regime-change plan

A Kurdish fighter from the Iranian Kurdish armed faction Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) stands with his rifle at a site near the Iraqi border with Iran in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, on March 8, 2026.

Siamand Moeini

Siamand Moeini

PJAK Executive Council Member

Iran's Araghchi reveals Turkey's role in thwarting Kurdish offensive

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart following a meeting in Baghdad on June 28, 2026.

Culture

Amid political setbacks, Kurds shine at the World Cup

Germany's forward #26 Deniz Undav (2nd R), an ethnic Kurd, scores his team's first goal during the 2026 World Cup Group E football match between Germany and Ivory Coast at the Toronto Stadium in Toronto on June 20, 2026.

A man drives a motorcycle past a makeshift refinery using burners to distill crude oil in the village of Bishiriya in the countryside near the town of Qahtaniya west of Rumaylan (Rmeilan) in Syria's Kurdish-controlled northeastern Hasakeh province, on July 19, 2020.

Biden administration poised to ax US oil company’s waiver for Kurdish-led northeast Syria

The decision to withdraw the waiver to produce and sell oil in Syria has been presented by administration officials as a policy correction, not a shift.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Talk of Kurdish weddings code for terror plots, Turkish prosecutors say

The Turkish justice system is overwhelmed with thousands in prison for such dubious crimes as texting about weddings.

Iraqi police protect Turkish embassy against protest

Turkish forces in fresh offensive against PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan

The latest Turkish military operation against the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan comes at a time when Ankara finds itself increasingly under strain, both on the domestic front and in its frosty ties with Washington.

Mor Gabriel Monastery

Court case against priest evokes bitter memories for Turkey’s Assyrians

Turkey’s tiny Assyrian community views a jail term handed to an Assyrian priest on “terrorism charges” as an official strong-arming tactic, while Assyrians around the world call for dismissal of the case.

al-bab explosion

Security chaos prevails in FSA-controlled town of north Syria

Assassinations and attacks are on the rise in the Syrian city of al-Bab controlled by the Free Syrian Army, and the perpetrators remain unknown.

Erdogan

Crackdown on dissent highlights Turkey's drift from democracy

A recent decision to nullify a parliamentary vote and ongoing targeting of opposition lawmakers are further evidence of Turkey’s slide away from a democratic system.

women wave hdp flags at newroz

Will Turkey’s third largest party survive closure case?

The fate of Turkey’s main Kurdish political movement remains in limbo even though the Constitutional Court last week rejected an indictment seeking the closure of the party.

Supporters of Pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) shout slogans during a rally as part of Nowruz (Newroz), or Kurdish New Year, celebrations in Ankara, on March 21, 2021.

Top Turkish court rejects bid to close pro-Kurdish party

Citing technical flaws in a case seeking the closure of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, the Turkish Constitutional Court rejected an indictment by a top prosecutor, setting the stage for possible rifts among political alliances in Ankara.

A girl holds a Syrian opposition flag during a demonstration in the village of Atme in Idlib.

Erdogan makes urgent appeal to West on grim 10-year mark of Syria’s war

Ankara desperately needs options to get out of the Syria quagmire, but the Turkish president's offer is likely to fall flat with the Biden administration.

Russian troops escort Syrian civilians returning to Ain Issa

Turkey reinforces military posts around Ain Issa amid clashes with Kurdish forces

Turkey established military posts and provided them with advanced weapons to prevent the advance of the Syrian Democratic Forces toward areas under Turkish control.

A young participant flashes the victory sign in front of the municipality headquarters in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, on October 30, 2016, during a pro-Kurdish demonstration. A Turkish court has barred Figen Yuksekdag, a leader of the main pro-Kurdish party, from leaving the country, accusing her of "belonging to an armed terrorist organisation," the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on October 29, 2016. The HDP denounced the decision as "totally arbitrary" and said it would appeal. President Erdo

US condemns Turkey's efforts to shutter opposition party

The Biden administration slams Turkey's move to dissolve the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party.

Turkey-backed Syrian fighters and displaced civilians in Afrin mark 10-year anniversary of Syrian conflict

What lies behind Erdogan’s Syria offer to the West?

The Turkish president’s appeal to the West to back Turkey in Syria and make political gains “at minimum cost” comes as a sign he has little intention of giving up his ambitions in Syria.