News Summary
- The Kurdish community is divided across West Asia and, lacking an independent nation, is estimated to number between 25 to 45 million people.
- The US intelligence agency CIA is reportedly planning to supply arms to Kurdish armed groups in Iran, with Iranian Kurds signaling signs of rebellion.
- Kurds in Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Iran have long fought for greater rights and autonomy, while Turkey continues its military campaign against the PKK.
March 31, Kathmandu — The Kurdish community is an ethnic minority group based in West Asia without an independent nation of their own.
Globally, their population is estimated to range between 25 million to 45 million. The majority reside in western Iran, eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, Syria, and the mountainous regions of Armenia. Due to the lack of official census data, their exact numbers remain uncertain.
Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, the Western Allied powers partitioned the Ottoman territories and proposed establishing a Kurdish state. However, after the Turkish War of Independence, the newly formed Turkish government consolidated control over the Anatolian peninsula.
In this process, the Kurds were divided across the new borders of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, and have since engaged in sustained protests and uprisings for their national rights.
Approximately half of Kurds live in Turkey, where they form the largest ethnic minority group.
Most Kurds are Sunni Muslims, but their religious, cultural, social, and political traditions are diverse. Various dialects of the Kurdish language are also spoken.
Despite divisions among regional Kurdish political groups, many Kurds unite in a shared struggle for greater rights, freedom, and autonomy.
Who Are the Kurds of Iran?
According to British government estimates, Kurds comprise 8 to 17 percent of Iran’s total population. The Kurdish region in western Iran has long advocated for increased autonomy or independence.
In 1946, a short-lived Kurdish state called the “Republic of Mahabad” was established but lasted less than a year before being dismantled by Iranian forces. This is regarded as the first modern example of a Kurdish republic.
In the following decades, Iranian armed Kurdish groups continued to resist the regime. They operate from military outposts along the Iraq-Iran border, with thousands of fighters stationed there.
Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have exposed widespread abuses against the Kurdish minority in Iran, including bans on Kurdish language education, restrictions on registering Kurdish names, and arbitrary arrests of Kurdish activists.
Who Are the Kurds in Iraq, Turkey, and Syria?
In Iraq, Kurds represent approximately 15 to 20 percent of the population. They inhabit semi-autonomous regions governed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), whose capital is Erbil.
In 2017, the KRG held a disputed referendum on independence in KRG-controlled and contested areas, where a large majority voted in favor. However, the Iraqi government declared the vote illegal, and the United States did not support it.
In Syria, Kurds make up about 10 percent of the roughly 24 million population. During his first term, US President Donald Trump authorized arming Kurdish groups through the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to help combat the Islamic State.
In Turkey, Kurds constitute the largest ethnic minority, comprising about 20 percent of the total population.
The Turkish government has waged war against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for decades. The PKK aims to establish an autonomous Kurdish state and has been engaged in violent conflict for six years. The United States designates the PKK as a terrorist organization.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), thousands have died in the Turkish-Kurd conflict, most of whom are Kurds. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has long opposed Kurdish nationalism and has pursued repressive policies.
Erdoğan said that the 2024 agreement between the Syrian government and the SDF has contributed to the peace process between Turkey and PKK fighters.
What Is the Latest on the Conflict in Iran?
Sources report the CIA is preparing to supply weapons to Iranian Kurdish armed forces with the goal of sparking rebellion within Iran. During the Trump administration, there were discussions about military cooperation with Iran-opposing groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq.
Iranian Kurdish groups have publicly hinted at rebellion and called on more people within the Iranian military to join their cause.
The Iraqi Kurdistan government has stated it will not participate in plans to send anti-Iranian Kurdish factions into Iran.
CIA support reportedly began several months prior to the onset of conflict and has been confirmed by some senior officials in the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Support from Iraqi Kurds is necessary to transport arms securely, allowing Kurdish forces to be moved safely and enabling use of Iraqi Kurdistan as a base for attacks.
A senior official from the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government said, “This is extremely dangerous, but what can we do? We cannot play a hidden game with America. We are very concerned.”
Urban Cunningham, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in London, suggested the CIA and possibly Israeli intelligence agency Mossad might also be contacting other minorities in Iran, including Baluch and Azeris.
Cunningham said, “I’m surprised this information was made public now. It puts all affected groups inside and outside Iran at extreme risk.”
US Involvement and Past Betrayals
After the 1991 US-led multinational forces expelled Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi army from Kuwait, then-US President George H.W. Bush called on the Iraqi military and populace to rebel against the dictator.
However, when Iraqi Kurds initiated uprisings against Hussein’s regime, they did not receive the expected support from the US. As a result, thousands of Kurds were killed and millions displaced.
Kurds allied again with the US during the 2003 American invasion of Iraq.
In Syria, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) played a principal role in removing the Islamic State’s headquarters from Raqqa.
However, as the political environment shifted, Kurdish support from the US weakened. In 2018, when Iraqi forces pressured Kurds to withdraw from territories won against ISIS, the US offered no assistance and merely watched.
When the US military withdrew from Syria in 2019, the Kurdish-led SDF faced a severe crisis. In 2024, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and ensuing conflicts with the new government, Kurds lost control of several territories.
According to Cunningham of the Royal United Services Institute, “When Trump or (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu told Kurds to stand and fight Iranian rule, the memory of the Syrian Kurds’ past experience will be fresh. It would be surprising if the Kurds came to see America or Israel as reliable partners. Some may just want military support.”
Analysts note that the close ties between Kurds and the US are a major concern for the Turkish government.
Cunningham added, “If the Kurds manage to consolidate power with US assistance, Turkey will become very fearful.”
However, the establishment of an autonomous Kurdish state remains a distant prospect.
Prominent Kurdish activist Shahnaz Ibrahim Ahmed of Iraq said, “Kurds are mostly remembered only when sacrifices are needed.” She urged, “Do not abandon us alone. We are not mercenary gunmen.”
