Kurdistan Regional Government

February 4, 2025 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Drone attack targets gas field in northern Iraq

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) targeted the Khor Mor gas field in northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region on February 2, 2025. It is the latest kamikaze drone attack on the gas field run by Dana Gas.

January 7, 2025 | Seth J. Frantzman |

In 2025, Israel’s Gaza Campaign Is Not Over

Despite multiple IDF campaigns, Hamas continues to recruit fighters.

October 22, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Kurdistan regional elections mark a step forward for Iraq’s stability

Elections in the Kurdistan region are important because they provide a beacon of democracy for the region.

June 10, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Lessons, 10 years after ISIS took over Mosul

The defeat of ISIS took years. However, Iraq was able to mobilize against the extremists.

March 8, 2023 | |

Secretary of Defense Austin Visits Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, and Israel

Latest Developments Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is scheduled to visit Israel tomorrow after trips to Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt this week. Originally slated to visit Israel today, Austin reportedly delayed...

July 7, 2022 | Hussain Abdul-Hussain |

Iran has Iraq’s Kurds in its crosshairs

After decimating Iraq’s Sunnis during years of political and military conquest, Iran and its Iraqi militias have now set their sights on Iraqi Kurdistan, harassing its government, targeting its energy...

February 18, 2021 | Thomas Joscelyn |

Biden Faces a Decision on Our Presence in Iraq

Overcharged political rhetoric about 'endless wars' masks the reality of the situation.

August 16, 2020 | Aykan Erdemir, Philip Kowalski

Joe Biden Will Be America’s Most Pro-Kurdish President

The real test of Biden’s pro-Kurdish sentiments will be whether the need to maintain pragmatic cooperation with Ankara and Baghdad will ultimately force him to temper his commitment to the Kurds that the mountains are not their only friends.

October 22, 2019 | Aykan Erdemir |

Trump can get both Turkish and Kurdish support in Syria by negotiating peace deal

President Trump’s strategy of getting out of Syria but keeping the oil continues to stir up policy debates and emotions. Opponents of the U.S. withdrawal see this as a betrayal of the Syrian Kurds,...

March 16, 2018 | Romany Shaker

Iraq’s 2018 Budget Deadlock Deepens Tensions Ahead of Elections

On March 3, the Iraqi Parliament adopted...

November 8, 2017 | Behnam Ben Taleblu, Merve Tahiroglu

Kurd Your Enthusiasm

On October 16, the world woke to footage of the Iraqi army barreling toward Kirkuk, several hundred miles n...

October 25, 2017 | Clifford D. May |

The Kurdish test

In a just world, the Kurds would have a state of their own. Their culture is ancient. They speak a distinctive language. They have a homeland, Kurdistan, ruled for centuries by Arabs, Turks and P...

October 5, 2017 | Behnam Ben Taleblu, Merve Tahiroglu

Fearing an Independent Kurdistan, Erdogan Travels to Tehran

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Iran on Wednesday for meetings with the...

October 3, 2017 | John Hannah |

The United States Must Prevent Disaster in Kurdistan

You have to hand it to them. U.S. officials nailed it. Prior to the Sept. 25 independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, they couldn’t have been clearer in setting out the parade of horribles that m...

September 29, 2017 | Aykan Erdemir |

Referendum Triggers Turkish Vitriol against Kurds – and Jews

Iraqi Kurds voted overwhelmingly on Monday in favor of a referendum on independence for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) an...

September 21, 2017 | Aykan Erdemir, Merve Tahiroglu

Why is Turkey so disjointed over the Iraqi Kurds?

Iraq’s Kurds are preparing ...

April 27, 2017 | Aykan Erdemir |

Turkish Airstrikes Complicate Campaign against IS

Turkish jets carried out airstrikes Tuesday and...

December 16, 2016 | Benjamin Weinthal |

Iranian Kurds Join the Fight

Co-written by Jonathan Spyer The instability that has swept over the Middle East over the past half-decade has its winners and its losers. For the most part, the much-...

December 1, 2016 | Aykan Erdemir, Merve Tahiroglu

Ankara’s Turkmen House of Cards

The Mosul operation has made the predominantly Turkmen city of Tal Afar the latest focus of Turkey a...

November 4, 2016 | Aykan Erdemir |

Ankara’s Influence: Asset or a Liability?

The Mosul operation, launched on October 17, has once again highlighted the complicated nature of Turkey’s involvement in the fight against the Islamic State (IS). Ahead of the offensive, T...