
American and other Western volunteers fighting the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria recently told the Kurdish outlet Rudaw they were gearing up for a new offensive against the jihadists in the new year. One American volunteer recalled how thousands demanded photos with him on a routine visit to a mall in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.
by Frances Martel5 Jan 2016, 10:29 AM PST0

To the extent the fight abroad surfaced as a topic, however, a common refrain reared its head, leaving many questions unanswered: “we should arm the Kurds.”
by Frances Martel16 Dec 2015, 7:30 AM PST0

The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) has claimed responsibility for a triple truck-bomb attack on a town in northeastern Syria that left 50 people dead and injured 80 others, according to the Kurdish YPG militia that controls the area.
by Edwin Mora12 Dec 2015, 10:37 AM PST0

The BBC has found a man believed to be the first Chinese national to volunteer to fight alongside the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) against the Islamic State.
by Frances Martel9 Dec 2015, 12:23 PM PST0

Fighting has erupted between allegedly allied anti-Islamic State groups in Aleppo, Syria, killing over 20 people in the past two days.
by Mary Chastain30 Nov 2015, 10:39 AM PST0

At least 50 U.S. soldiers arrived in Kobane, Syria, on Thursday to train Kurdish People’s Protection Unit soldiers against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL).
by Mary Chastain28 Nov 2015, 3:39 PM PST0

Students at a London university have banned an alumnus from speaking about his experiences fighting ISIS in Syria because they did not want to encourage others to go and fight against them. They’ve claimed “one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist”
by Liam Deacon6 Nov 2015, 2:38 PM PST0

Yazidi militias organized to fight the Islamic State in Sinjar, northern Iraq are protesting that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Marxist terrorist group operating out of Syria and Turkey, have prevented them from launching a mission to recapture Sinjar City after the terrorists stormed the region in 2014.
by Frances Martel6 Nov 2015, 7:33 AM PST0

The White House had stern words for Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) this week following the dramatic crackdown on a media conglomerate that temporarily shut down two newspapers and two television stations just days before the November 1 election.
by Frances Martel3 Nov 2015, 7:23 AM PST0

The head of the Syrian rebel group the Raqqa Revolutionaries Front has announced in a video uploaded to YouTube that his group will “soon” announce a military offensive on Raqqa, the “capital” of the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS) terrorist group.
by Frances Martel30 Oct 2015, 10:33 AM PST0

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told the Syrian Kurdish PYD forces, who have worked with the United States in the past, “Pull yourself together” and keep east of the Euphrates River–or face military attack by Turkish forces.
by Frances Martel29 Oct 2015, 10:06 AM PST0

A Kurdish man from the beleaguered Syrian border town of Kobani set himself on fire upon learning that his daughter had left home to join the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, the all-female YPJ, in the war against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL).
by Frances Martel27 Oct 2015, 7:33 AM PST0

The United States is currently unsure if Kurdish People’s Protection Unit (YPG) fighters, who have reportedly received nearly 50 tons of ammunition funded by American taxpayers, will participate in the U.S. operation to retake Raqqa, the de facto Syrian capital of the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), according to the Pentagon.
by Edwin Mora24 Oct 2015, 11:07 AM PST0

A dispute has arisen in Syria over the disposition of a fifty-ton ammunition shipment from the United States, supposedly intended for Syrian Arab rebel groups. The munitions were instead taken by the Kurdish YPG militia, according to both Arab and Kurdish commanders, although the Pentagon officially insists the shipment reached its intended recipients.
by John Hayward23 Oct 2015, 9:16 PM PST0

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, reacted “positively” to the idea of working with some rebel groups in the region against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), particularly the Kurds.
by Frances Martel23 Oct 2015, 7:25 AM PST0

Ömer Çelik, a senior official in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warned Wednesday that “Kurdish militia in northern Syria appeared intent on creating a de facto zone of control in the region.”
by John Hayward14 Oct 2015, 8:20 PM PST0

An American-backed Syrian Kurdish militia has joined forces with some Arab rebels and members of an Assyrian Christian group to launch an assault against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) in Raqqa, the jihadist group’s de-facto capital in Syria, according to a statement obtained by Reuters.
by Edwin Mora13 Oct 2015, 10:47 PM PST0

Kurdish leader Saleh Muslim argued this week that the overthrow of Bashar Assad’s brutal regime in Syria would be a disaster for the entire world.
by John Hayward25 Sep 2015, 9:33 PM PST0

Tensions between Turkey and the Kurds continue to escalate as Kurdish militia groups who have been fighting ISIS in Syria complained of coming under fire from Turkish forces. Notably, these are Kurdish militia units not direct affiliated with the PKK—the Kurdish separatists classified as terrorists by Turkey and subjected to airstrikes by American-made Turkish F-16 jets after several recent instances of violence.
by John Hayward6 Aug 2015, 8:25 PM PST0

The bodies of 13 Kurdish People’s Protection Unit (YPG) soldiers will finally be allowed to return to their families after 10 days held up at the Syrian/Turkish border, Turkish media reports. Despite having died fighting the Islamic State, their alliance with the YPG stains them with ties to the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)– Turkey’s number one enemy.
by Frances Martel5 Aug 2015, 7:48 AM PST0

Relatives of fallen Kurdish People’s Protection Unit (YPG) fighters in Turkey say the Turkish government is denying permission for the bodies to return to Turkish soil to be buried. A group of 12 bodies, including that of a German national fighting in Syria, have been waiting in a refrigerated truck on the Syrian border for more than one week for permission to enter Turkey.
by Frances Martel4 Aug 2015, 8:35 AM PST0

An Assyrian Christian militia group has asked NATO to stop Turkey from attacking Syria, since the military is shelling the Kurdish militia People’s Protection Unit (YPG). The YPG, and its female counterpart the YPJ, are seen by many in the region as the last line of defense from the Islamic State.
by Mary Chastain29 Jul 2015, 5:58 PM PST0

More than 850 suspects have been arrested in anti-terrorist operations across Turkey, launched against members of the outlawed Kurdistan’s Workers Party (PKK) and Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), Daily Sabah reports.
by Edwin Mora27 Jul 2015, 9:33 AM PST0

The Syrian Kurdish YPG/YPJ–or People’s Protection Units–issued a statement on Monday condemning Turkish airstrikes on strategic Kurdish posts. The Turkish government announced a new campaign, accompanied by the United States, against the Islamic State in Syria, but the Kurds and anti-Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS) Syrian militant claim they are the real targets of the campaign.
by Frances Martel27 Jul 2015, 8:34 AM PST0

The President of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government, Masoud Barzani, has appeared to take the side of the Turkish government regarding recently launched airstrikes against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), calling the U.S.-designated terrorist group “arrogant” and praising Turkey for taking a “positive” role in attempting peace talks with the PKK.
by Frances Martel27 Jul 2015, 7:23 AM PST0