Kurdistan

Tensions continue to mount as Iraq balances the Iran border crossing closures with national needs

Authorities closed the al-Shib crossing last week as they upgraded security and detection equipment, an Iraqi official told Reuters on Wednesday.

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.
Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (C) looks on during the family photo during the 52nd session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Baghdad on October 17, 2026.

Iraqi PM orders investigation into provincial council threats over closed Iran border crossing

A view shows the conical temple roofs, courtyards and pilgrims at the Lalish sanctuary during the Jama'i festival in Lalish, Duhok Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on October 10, 2026; Illustrative.

Fourteen years after genocide, Yazidis may see stability in Iraq - analysis

VOTING IN Egypt’s parliamentary elections, in Giza, Nov. 2025.

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


Iranian drones target Iraq's Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani's office

Two drones launched from Iran targeted offices linked to KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and a senior security official, with no casualties reported.

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.

Iraqi Kurdistan emerges as a key diplomatic bridge between US and Iran - analysis

Nechirvan Barzani’s ties with Washington, Tehran and regional Kurdish actors have positioned Iraqi Kurdistan as a key diplomatic bridge.

Nechirvan Barzani, the regional president of Iraqi Kurdistan, delivers a speech after casting his ballot in Arbil, the capital of Iraqi's northern autonomous Kurdish region, on November 11, 2025.

Two drones attack Kurdistan Regional Government prime minister, head of protection agency

The statement added that the attacks were launched from Iranian territory and that no human casualties had been reported.

 A drone is seen during an Iranian Army exercise dubbed 'Zulfiqar 1400', in the coastal area of the Gulf of Oman, Iran, in this picture obtained on November 7, 2021

Kurdish disappointment is a bigger story than Ocalan’s rhetoric - opinion

Ocalan's anti-Israel statements should not automatically be regarded as a reflection of the general views of Kurdish society, since he has been in Turkish custody for decades.

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.

Recent Kurdistan Region attacks expose Baghdad’s struggle with Iran-backed militias - analysis

Three drones were intercepted over Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, as Baghdad seeks to bring armed groups under state control and rein in Iran-backed militias.

Smoke rises from an oil warehouse on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan Region, following a suspected drone strike on April 1, 2026. (Illustrative)

Kurds are not a proxy. We are a nation without a front - opinion

I can forgive an anonymous stranger a cheap joke. I have less patience for people who call themselves intellectuals and arrive at the identical idea in longer sentences.

Israelis from Kurdish origin take part in a rally in support of the Kurdish referendum outside the American consulate in Jerusalem September 24, 2017

Iraq seeks Saudi, Syrian ties as it faces pressure to rein in Iran-backed militias - analysis

Iraq’s militias have threatened US forces and Israel in the past. They have kidnapped journalists and carried out hundreds of attacks on the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi delivers a televised address after assuming office, in Baghdad, Iraq May 16, 2026.

Iraq’s PM seeks to disarm Iran-backed militias, but Tehran wants to meddle - analysis

Iran-backed militias in Iraq have roots stretching back to the 1980's and are the product of decades of Iranian policy aimed at cultivating armed proxies beyond its borders.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran, Iran July 23, 2026.

Rocket attack hits Iranian-Kurdish opposition camp near Erbil, security sources say

The sources reported that there were no casualties, blaming Iran for the attack.

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.

Turkey’s PKK amnesty could ease Kurdish tensions, expand regional reach, expert tells ‘Post’

Turkey’s proposed PKK amnesty could reduce security pressures, ease tensions with Iraq, and allow Ankara to redirect military, intelligence, and economic resources across the region.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to MPs at his party's group meeting in the Turkish parliament on January 21, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey.