All articles tagged with #kurdistan
The last US troops have exited Iraq, ending a two-decade presence. While Iran-backed militias celebrate the withdrawal as a victory for sovereignty, Kurdish officials express deep anxiety over the removal of US air defense systems. The Iraqi government has pushed the deadline for militia disarmament to June 2027, leaving powerful armed groups outside state control.
The Trump-era plan to let the memorandum providing security aid to the Peshmerga expire and not be renewed is moving forward, even as US troops withdraw from Iraq. Kurdish officials warn that ending the funding could create a power vacuum and boost Iranian influence, undermining a longtime US ally in the fight against ISIS. While the Pentagon has signaled a broader security role could be maintained in some form, the core aid for the Peshmerga is at risk as negotiations continue on a possible defence pact and post-withdrawal security arrangements.
Iraq’s parliament elected Nizar Amidi, a Kurdish official from one of the country’s two main Kurdish parties, as president five months after a fragmented election failed to produce a decisive majority, as the country faces security challenges and fallout from ongoing conflict.
Iranian Kurdish opposition groups, unified under the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan, say they are prepared to challenge Tehran but will refrain from a ground offensive for now as the US-Israel war with Iran unfolds, watching developments and seeking Western coordination to push for a democratic, multi-ethnic Iran while noting the regime has weakened but remains in power.
An Iraqi-based Kurdish group, the National Army of Kurdistan (PAK), says it attacked Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in solidarity with protesters amid Tehran’s crackdown, while Iran accuses Kurdish groups of inciting demonstrations; the group says attacks targeted IRGC forces inside Iran and it has provided support to protesters from the Kurdish region in Iraq.
Iraq has resumed Kurdish oil exports to Turkiye after a 2.5-year halt, following an agreement between Baghdad, the Kurdistan regional government, and international oil companies, allowing about 180,000 to 190,000 barrels per day to be exported through the Ceyhan port, aiming to boost Iraq's oil revenues and stabilize regional relations.
The US condemns recent drone attacks on oil fields in Iraqi Kurdistan, emphasizing their threat to Iraq's stability and urging the Iraqi government to protect its territory and citizens.
Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on a Mossad facility in Erbil, Kurdistan, killing three alleged Mossad agents and a Kurdish businessman. The attack signifies a significant escalation in hostilities between Iran and Israel, with Iran sending a clear message that it will retaliate against Israeli actions. The passports of the alleged Mossad agents were published by an Iranian news website affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, but their authenticity has not been independently verified.
The US has condemned Iran for launching ballistic missile attacks near Iraq's northern city of Irbil, calling them "reckless and imprecise." Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed to have targeted Israeli "spy headquarters" in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, resulting in four deaths and six injuries. Iraq denounced the attacks as a violation of its sovereignty, while Israel has not commented on the Iranian claims. The strikes come amid escalating tensions in the region, with Iran also targeting Islamic State positions in Syria in retaliation for a recent suicide bombing in Iran.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for using ballistic missiles to destroy an alleged Israeli spy site in Iraq's Kurdistan region, resulting in casualties and escalating tensions in the Middle East. Kurdish officials deny the claims, and Iraq has recalled its ambassador from Tehran. The strike comes amid a series of escalatory attacks in the region, including Iranian missile launches against Islamic State militants in Syria and the shooting down of bomb-laden drones near a U.S. military base in Kurdistan. The United States strongly condemns Iran's actions, which have targeted both U.S. forces and commercial shipping.
Three members of the Iraqi counter-terrorism service were killed and three others wounded in a drone strike on the small military airport of Arbid in Iraq's Kurdistan region. The drone entered Iraqi airspace through Turkey's border. The attack targeted a suspected Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) position. Iraqi Kurdish security forces sealed off the area, and the Iraqi government has vowed to investigate the incident.
Nashville is close to adding Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, as its 10th Sister City, and the first in the Middle East. A group of leaders from Nashville visited Erbil in May to discuss what Nashville could offer as a Sister City. Nashville is home to over 25,000 Kurdish residents, making forming a relationship between the two cities sensible. A photography exhibition at the Historic Metro Courthouse displayed 30 photos showing the effects of the war against ISIS in Kurdistan and everyday life in Kurdistan. Metro Council members are expected to vote on a resolution that would make Erbil a Sister City at the meeting on July 6.
Iraq's northern oil exports to Turkey have not yet resumed, leaving several fields shut in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. Turkey halted flows of about 450,000 barrels per day via a pipeline from Iraq's Kirkuk fields to Turkey's Ceyhan port on March 25 after Iraq won an arbitration case. Iraq's federal government and the KRG signed a temporary agreement on Tuesday to restart northern oil exports through Turkey, but pipeline operators have yet to receive any instruction to restart flows.
The Hassira oilfield in Kurdistan has resumed production to full capacity following an agreement between Kurdistan and Iraq on the resumption of oil exports. The federal government of Iraq and Kurdistan reached an agreement to resume exports via an Iraq-Turkey pipeline and the port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean. Kurdistan’s crude oil exports were halted in late March by the federal government of Iraq, but the recent agreement brings much-needed revenues to the country.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq has reached an initial agreement with the federal government to restart oil exports, which have been cut off since March 25th. The agreement would remain in effect until the Iraqi Parliament approves the new oil and gas law governing oil exports and revenue from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. However, Turkey, which shut off the export pipeline immediately following the court ruling, would also have to approve the resumption deal. The international ruling takes some 450,000 barrels per day off the market.