Kurds

‘They don't have to fight alone’: Why victims of jihadism are turning to the Jews

TERROR AFFAIRS: Jewish activist Charles Jacobs has launched a global coalition bringing together Jews, Christians, Yazidis and other minorities facing jihadist persecution.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
ISLAMIC STATE fighters wave jihadist flags in Raqqa, Syria, in June 2014. The persecution of religious and ethnic minorities by jihadist movements has prompted efforts to unite threatened communities, including Jews, Christians, Yazidis, and others, against a common enemy.
Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq February 12, 2026.

The red-and-black reactionaries: Hostility toward the Pahlavi dynasty - opinion

This sinister triangle vies in its hostility toward the Pahlavi dynasty, spreading lies about Iran’s former patriotic king while concealing its alliance with the mullahs in the 1979 upheaval.

|ByERFAN FARD
Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party, known as PAK take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq February 12, 2026.

Iran steps up attacks on Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq

The attacks illustrate how Iran continues to target Kurdish opposition groups in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, even as Tehran faces wider regional tensions and domestic unrest.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Rick Francona.

Retired US Air Force officer Rick Francona discusses Kurds, Iranian threat with 'Post' - interview

As a new conflict with Iran looms, the Kurds in northern Iraq and their autonomous region could face conflict as they navigate the complex arena.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

AI is helping Kurds defeat Turkey’s century-long campaign of assimilation - opinion

After a century of Turkish suppression, AI is helping Kurds reclaim their language, rediscover their history, and revive their identity.

OCTOBER 28, 2026ByMEM HUSEDIN
A boy waves a flag of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region as he celebrates Newroz in Sulaimaniyah of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, on March 20, 2026.

Damascus struggles to assert control in southern Syria amid ISIS threat, Druze tensions - analysis

Southern Syria is particularly complex for several reasons. One reason is the continued Israeli raids along the border.

OCTOBER 26, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
ISIS fighters.

Voices from the Arab Press: Iran, the Kurds, and the future of Arab power

A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.

OCTOBER 23, 2026ByTHE MEDIA LINE
VOTING IN Egypt’s parliamentary elections, in Giza, Nov. 2025.

The long way home: Free after decade in Iraqi prison, Benjamin Hassin begins new life in Jerusalem

DIASPORA AFFAIRS: Just over a month ago, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Benjamin Hassin landed on Israeli soil for the first time in 12 years.

OCTOBER 23, 2026ByMATHILDA HELLER
Benjamin Hassin overlooks the Western Wall, just weeks after returning to Israel following more than 11 years in Iraqi prisons, including nearly five years under a death sentence.

Human rights group petitions Germany to investigate Iranian crimes against ethnic minorities

International human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have repeatedly documented the regime’s use of unlawful killings, torture, sexual violence, and arbitrary detention.

OCTOBER 22, 2026ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Protesters wave Iranian pre-Islamic revolution of 1979 and shout slogans during a demonstration in front of the Brandenburger Gate as the sun shines in Berlin, on March 1, 2026.

Iran deploys heavy weaponry to Kurdish regions amid fears of renewed conflict with Israel, US

Iran has reportedly deployed artillery and IRGC troops to Kurdish regions near the Iraqi border as it intensifies operations against Kurdish opposition groups amid concerns over renewed conflicts.

OCTOBER 22, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party, known as PAK take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq February 12, 2026.

Iran strikes Iranian opposition group Kurdistan Freedom Party in latest attack - analysis

This comes after Iran has targeted the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), Komala, and Khabat groups in recent weeks, and is also pressing Iraq to expel Kurdish Iranian opposition groups.

OCTOBER 21, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party, known as PAK take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq February 12, 2026.

Iraq closes southern border crossing with Iran amid US pressure on Baghdad

Iraq is in the spotlight because Iran continues to pressure Iraq to expel Kurdish Iranian opposition groups. The US is pressuring Iraq to rein in Iranian-backed militias.

OCTOBER 21, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi security forces stand at the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran after Iraq closed the crossing following airstrikes on the Iranian side that security sources said killed an Iraqi citizen, Iraq, April 4, 2026.

IRGC officer killed in Iran-Iraq border mountains as fighting with Kurdish opposition intensifies

Iran’s ambassador to Iraq says Tehran and Baghdad have reached an agreement on as Iran seeks to suppress what it calls Kurdish ‘terrorist’ and ‘separatists.'

OCTOBER 20, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party, known as PAK take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq February 12, 2026.

Iran attacks Komala Kurdish opposition group in Iraq amid increased regional tensions

Many Kurdish Iranian opposition groups are concerned that Iran will now escalate attacks in the wake of the US leaving Iraq on September 30.

OCTOBER 18, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Illustrative: Komala party members look towards the debris is strewn from mangled structures following drone strikes on the Iranian Kurdish opposition Komala party's Sordash camp, which resulted in the death of a female party member and the injury of two others, April 15, 2026.