Tag

Kurdish

All articles tagged with #kurdish

middle-east20 days ago•15 min saved

PKK Amnesty Could Reframe Turkey’s Regional Strategy

Turkey’s draft PKK amnesty would shield many militants from prosecution and suspend sentences (leaders like Öcalan excluded), enabling Ankara to pivot security and economic resources from counterterrorism to regional priorities. Analysts say it could ease tensions with Iraq, curb cross-border operations, and free capacity for Syria, the Black Sea, and NATO, with domestic politics and the need for transparency and victim considerations shaping its fate.

via The Jerusalem Post|

#iraq #kurdish #middle-east

middle-east21 days ago•8 min saved

Turkey moves to reintegrate PKK members with new draft law to end decades-long conflict

Turkey plans to submit a draft law to permit thousands of former PKK members to return and be reintegrated, a framework aimed at disbanding the PKK and ending a decades-long insurgency that has killed tens of thousands; the bill, backed by Erdogan’s AKP and allies and broadly supported in parliament, comes despite skepticism about lasting peace, and follows the PKK’s disarmament move after Abdullah Ocalan’s appeal as the peace process stalls amid regional instability linked to the Iran war.

via The Jerusalem Post|

#erdogan #kurdish #middle-east

world1 month ago•11 min saved

Ambush near Piranshahr signals rising Kurdish tensions on Iran's border

Six PDKI Peshmerga were killed in an IRGC ambush near Piranshahr in Iranian Kurdistan, with Iran’s IRGC saying five PDKI fighters were killed; the clashes come amid days of border violence and Kurdish opposition pressure, with officials describing it as not a full uprising but not routine border violence, highlighting regional tensions and potential implications for U.S.–Iran diplomacy.

via Fox News|

#iran #irgc #kurdish

world5 months ago•5 min saved

Trump Pushes Iranian Kurds to Strike Iran as War Expands

Trump urged Iranian Kurdish fighters in Iraq to attack Iran as the broader conflict widens, with Israel mounting broad strikes on Iran and Azerbaijan warning of retaliation after cross-border attacks; the United States and its allies have intensified operations against Iran’s targets, while discussions about Iran’s leadership follow airstrikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week.

via Reuters|

#iran #kurdish #middleeast

world7 months ago•2 min saved

Syria Elevates Kurdish Language, Declares Nowruz a National Holiday

Interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree recognizing Kurdish as a national language and designating Nowruz as a national holiday, vowing to protect Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights and allowing Kurdish instruction in schools in areas with significant Kurdish populations, as Kurdish-led forces redeploy and talks with the United States continue.

via AL-Monitor|

#kurdish #language-rights #nowruz

world1 year ago•2 min saved

PKK militants start disarmament to end decades-long Turkey conflict

PKK fighters began disarming near Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan, symbolizing a move towards peace after 40 years of conflict with Turkey. The disarmament follows a declaration to disband and is supported by PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, emphasizing political solutions over armed conflict. The group aims to promote peace and Kurdish rights, ending decades of violence that resulted in around 40,000 deaths.

via dw.com|

#disarmament #kurdish #peace

international-relations1 year ago•5 min saved

Syria's Kurds Face Uncertainty Amid Shifting Alliances and Regime Changes

The article argues that the U.S. must continue supporting its Kurdish partners, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Syria to prevent regional instability and counter hostile actors like ISIS. It highlights the threat posed by Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) rebels and the need for U.S. mediation between the SDF and Turkey. The authors emphasize the strategic importance of maintaining a U.S. presence in the region to safeguard gains against ISIS and influence Syria's future, while also addressing Turkey's security concerns.

via The National Interest Online|

#international-relations #kurdish #sdf

international-relations2 years ago•1 min saved

"Turkish Airstrikes Devastate Energy Infrastructure in Syria's Kurdish Northeast"

Turkey conducted a series of airstrikes targeting electricity and oil infrastructure in Syria's Kurdish-held northeast, resulting in several power stations and water pumping stations being put out of service. At least 40 sites were hit in the shelling, leaving 10 border towns without power or water. The strikes, part of Turkey's ongoing conflict with the Kurdish YPG, also affected oil and natural gas facilities, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirming the airstrikes in northern Iraq and Syria following the deaths of nine Turkish soldiers in a clash with the PKK. The attacks have caused significant damage to critical infrastructure and raised concerns among residents about the safety of their children.

via Fox News|

#airstrikes #energy-infrastructure #international-relations

conflict3 years ago•2 min saved

"Ethnic Clashes in Kirkuk: Iraqi Security Forces Deploy to Restore Order"

Iraqi security forces have been deployed in Kirkuk following ethnic clashes that resulted in the deaths of four protesters. The clashes erupted after tensions escalated over a building in Kirkuk that was previously the headquarters for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) but has been used as an army base since 2017. The federal supreme court issued a ruling delaying the handover of the building to the KDP, which could further raise tensions. The city of Kirkuk has been a focal point of violence between the Kurdish autonomous region and Iraq's central government. Arab residents and minority groups have protested the KDP's return to the city, claiming past mistreatment under Kurdish rule.

via Yahoo News|

#conflict #ethnic-clashes #iraqi-security-forces

politics3 years ago•4 min saved

Erdogan's Re-election: Implications for Turkey and the West

Following his victory in Turkey's recent election, President Erdogan continued his divisive rhetoric, denigrating his opponent, dismissing LGBTQ people as a threat to "family," and ruling out the release of an imprisoned Kurdish political leader. Analysts predict that Erdogan will continue to use polarizing discourse to maintain his coalition of voters, setting Turkey on a divisive and turbulent course for the foreseeable future. Erdogan's victory was a blow to opposition supporters who had rallied around pledges of restoring democracy and protecting civil liberties. Despite his winning strategy, Erdogan faces challenges in stabilizing the economy and managing coalition partners with extreme views.

via The Washington Post|

#election #erdogan #kurdish

politics3 years ago•6 min saved

Erdogan's re-election victory tests Turkey's illiberal democracy.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been reelected in a runoff that experts say is the latest trend in the rise of illiberal democracies. The Kurdish heartland of Diyarbakir has been there before, but now it has spread from the periphery to the centre, and probably beyond Turkey’s borders. Turkey’s Kurds, who constitute an estimated 18% of the country’s population, went to the polls in the 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections with their most electable leader, Selahattin Demirtas, in prison. Despite a judgment by the European Court of Human Rights ordering his release, Demirtas has remained in jail for the past seven years.

via FRANCE 24 English|

#election #erdogan #illiberal-democracy

politics3 years ago•10 min saved

Turkey's Election: A Showdown for the Future of the Left and Erdogan's Rule.

The upcoming May 14 election in Turkey represents the best chance in a generation to depose President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has ruled for two decades with an increasingly iron fist. The opposition candidate, Kemal Kiliçdaroğlu, represents the best hope for an exhausted nation, but his appeals to the Kurds are mostly pragmatic, and he has formed the symbol of the ultranationalist, hard-right Grey Wolves paramilitary group, in a sop to the millions of voters who loathe any move toward recognition of minority rights.

via Jacobin magazine|

#election #erdogan #kurdish