Transcript [00:00] What is going on with the Kurds? We've [00:03] talked about this a few times since the [00:05] war started. There was a rumor that was [00:08] reported as a news item that I covered. [00:10] Uh then we later found out that it [00:12] wasn't true. It was covered all over the [00:13] place that the Kurds had started an [00:15] invasion in northwestern Iran from Iraq. [00:19] And it turned out, again, it turned out [00:21] not to be true. But I decided to go back [00:24] and check in on what's going on with the [00:26] Kurds because they are still very much a [00:28] factor in this war. So, we're going to [00:30] get into all that in this video. But [00:33] before we do that, please make sure to [00:35] go visit israel365arity.com. [00:39] That's Israel, the number [00:40] 365charity.com. [00:42] Click on the banner for Israel under [00:44] fire or scroll down to the current [00:46] projects and uh click on Israel at war. [00:50] and Israel 365 has been raising funds to [00:54] deliver them to families that are that [00:57] are being affected by this war. There's [00:58] a lot of young mothers whose husbands [01:00] are being called up in the big call up [01:03] of reserves that are going up north to [01:07] the Lebanon border uh to to fight in [01:10] Lebanon because there's going to be a [01:11] major ground invasion there. And that [01:14] only adds to the needs that we are [01:16] helping with. And Israel 365 is [01:18] connected with a lot of great charities [01:20] on the ground and we'll make sure that [01:21] the money gets into the right hands. So [01:22] please go ahead and help out Israel 365 [01:27] charity.com Israel at war. Now on to the [01:31] story of the Kurds. Okay, so here we [01:35] have Middle East Eye. Again, not not a [01:38] friendly uh news outlet, but [01:40] nevertheless, Iraq warns Kurdish [01:42] authorities not to get drawn into war on [01:46] Iran. Sources say Baghdad, that means [01:49] the Iraqi government, has warned the [01:52] Kurdistan regional government that it [01:54] could deploy forces to the Iranian [01:56] border if Kurdish groups enter the [01:59] conflict. Wow. Let's say that again. [02:02] Baghdad. The Iraqi government has warned [02:04] the Kurdistan regional government, [02:06] that's the autonomous Kurdish zone in [02:09] Iraq, that Baghdad that the Iraqis will [02:12] deploy forces to the Iranian border to [02:15] prevent the Kurds from joining if they [02:18] get involved. Iraq's federal government [02:20] has warned the Kurdistan Regional [02:21] Government not to allow Kurdish groups [02:24] to become involved in the war in Iran, [02:25] telling Kurdish authorities that Iraqi [02:28] forces could move to take control of [02:31] border areas if they fail to prevent it [02:34] from happening. Iraqi, Kurdish, and [02:36] Turkish officials, Iraqi, Kurdish, and [02:39] Turkish officials told the Middle East [02:41] eye that Baghdad delivered the warning [02:44] earlier this week amid growing fears [02:46] that Kurdish groups could be coerced by [02:49] Washington into joining the US-Israeli [02:52] war in Iran. Quote, "The message from [02:54] Baghdad was clear. Kurdish groups must [02:57] not get involved in Iran." One Iraqi [03:00] official familiar with the discussion [03:02] said, "If the KRG cannot prevent it, [03:04] then Iraqi federal forces will move to [03:08] secure the border." [03:10] Look at that. Kurdish and Turkish [03:13] sources confirmed the warning to Middle [03:15] East eye, saying the KRG was under [03:17] intense pressure from both Baghdad and [03:19] neighboring countries to prevent the [03:22] escalation. and speculation grows that [03:24] Iranian Kurdish groups could attempt to [03:26] launch operations across the frontier. [03:30] The prospect of Kurdish groups entering [03:32] the war has alarmed regional [03:33] governments, particularly given the [03:36] presence of several Iranian Kurdish [03:38] opposition parties based in Iraqi [03:40] Kurdistan. Okay. Um [03:45] uh their involvement would almost [03:47] certainly draw retaliation from Thran [03:49] that would drag Iraq deeper into the [03:51] conflict. Turkey has long viewed Kurdish [03:54] armed movements across the region as a [03:57] national security threat and has [03:59] repeatedly warned against attempts to [04:00] mobilize Kurdish factions in regional [04:03] conflicts. Let's understand this uh [04:05] point for a second. The Turks have [04:08] Turkey has the largest population of [04:10] Kurds. Okay, the Kurds are scattered [04:12] across the five countries. Turkey, some [04:16] in Syria, Iraq and Iran, and some also [04:21] in Armenia. Okay. But the largest [04:23] population is in is in Turkey. [04:30] And the Turks, Erdogan's regime can't [04:33] stand the Turks. I'm sorry, can't stand [04:34] the Kurds. They're terrified of the [04:36] Kurds wanting their autonomy. And the [04:38] last thing that they want is a Kurdish [04:41] uprising in Iran that would fan the [04:44] flames of of Kurdish national ambitions. [04:48] They do not want the Kurds to to assert [04:51] their, you know, their autonomy to gain [04:53] any more autonomy than what they have in [04:55] Iraq. Kurdish officials have publicly [04:57] sought to distance themselves from the [05:00] war, warning that involvement could [05:01] plunge the region into chaos. [05:05] Okay. [05:06] uh uh and he said uh this is not our [05:08] war. We've made that very clear. They [05:10] don't want to get involved [05:13] and there's a lot of speculation about [05:14] the Kurds possibly getting involved in [05:17] the war. Now, let's understand the [05:19] dynamic. I laid this out in an earlier [05:21] video, but it bears repeating right now. [05:23] The dynamic between the Iranian Kurds [05:27] and the Iraqi Kurds. So there's there [05:29] are these Iranian Kurdish groups that [05:32] are that have their bases of operation [05:34] just over the border in Iraq in the air [05:36] bill region there near the Iranian [05:38] border. And then you have the Iraqi [05:40] Kurds who have their own autonomous zone [05:43] in Iraq. As I just mentioned, they have [05:45] an autonomous zone and they have this [05:47] working relationship with the Iraqi [05:49] government. Let's remember that Iraq is [05:52] one of the only countries, it's one of [05:54] only four countries in the world that [05:56] has a Shiite majority, which means that [06:02] it has a lot of people there who are [06:03] aligned with the Iranian regime. They're [06:05] also they also border on Turkey. So, [06:07] they got the Turks breathing down their [06:09] necks. They got the Iranians uh bombing [06:14] uh Kurdish positions uh in Eril and and [06:17] American bases in in Iraq. They don't [06:21] want to get drawn into this. They're [06:23] caught between the Turks and the [06:24] Americans and the Iranians and they just [06:26] want everything to to deescalate in [06:29] their area and the last thing they need [06:31] is a an invasion of Iran by Kurds from [06:36] their soil. So they want to avoid all [06:38] this and they joined in this warning [06:41] with the Turks as you saw uh warning the [06:45] Kurds not to get involved. So the [06:48] warning was sent to the Kurdish [06:50] leadership in Iraq to make sure that the [06:52] Iranian Kurds in Iraq don't join the [06:56] war. That's what that's what this story [06:58] is saying now for the Kurd you know the [07:02] Kurds for their part. [07:04] We see this story in USA Today. No [07:08] friends but the mountains. Kurds want [07:10] Trump's help for Iran ground war. [07:14] Take a look at this. On a Kurdish base [07:16] near Iraq's border with Iran. Soon there [07:17] could be military boots on the ground [07:19] crossing into the Islamic Republic of [07:21] Iran from the terrain in Iraq. from Iraq [07:27] uh in the terrain of fertile valleys, [07:29] deep gorgees, and ancient Mesopotamian [07:31] trade routes perched below the [07:32] mountainous border dividing Iraq and [07:34] Iran. They may not be American ones. The [07:36] White House says ground operations are [07:38] not part of the plan right now. [07:40] President Trump has reportedly said that [07:42] Iran is about to surrender, though [07:44] there's no indication of that fontan. [07:46] According to Israeli and US officials, [07:48] the war is designed to hunt down key [07:50] figures in Iran's regime while while [07:53] crippling their ballistic missile [07:54] arsenal and nuclear program. [07:57] Still, as the war barrels forward, some [07:59] exiled Iranian Kurdish opposition [08:01] officials and fighters, Peshmerga, which [08:04] is a name that translates into English [08:06] as those who face death, told USA Today [08:08] that they have an invasion plan ready to [08:11] activate. All they're waiting for, they [08:14] say, is a US is US military air cover to [08:18] launch the operation. Quote, "When we [08:20] cross the border, the United States [08:22] should secure the skies for us and [08:23] protect us from above," said Rabbaz [08:26] Sharifi, a commander with the Kurdistan [08:29] Freedom Party or PAK, one of several [08:32] Iranian Kurdish separate groups, [08:34] separatist groups based in northern [08:36] Iraq. So, this is an Iranian Kurdish [08:38] group based in Iraq. in an interview on [08:41] March 11th. We do not need nor do we [08:44] expect people to take to the streets. [08:47] Um [08:50] it will uh that's so yeah he said we [08:53] don't expect that to happen. There are [08:55] and then it talks about how there's a [08:56] whole bunch of different Kurdish groups [08:58] there. It says there are more than a [09:00] dozen different Kurdish groups spread [09:01] across the Middle East. And I want to [09:04] jump down to this. [09:08] Here we go. [09:13] There's a here we go. We have no friends [09:15] but the mountains is a well-known [09:17] Kurdish proverb. For now, it's not clear [09:19] in particular if they have a friend in [09:21] the US president. Trump has given [09:23] contradictory statements about backing [09:25] Kurdish opposition groups as a proxy [09:27] ground force in the war against Iran, [09:29] including the possibility of supplying [09:31] them with weapons andor providing them [09:34] with air support as they seek to launch [09:36] an invasion. So Trump has signaled that. [09:38] Kurds are one of Iran's largest ethnic [09:40] minorities. Great. [09:42] Trump originally said, "I think it would [09:44] be wonder if they if I think it would be [09:46] wonderful if they want to do that. I'd [09:48] be all for it." Responding to a question [09:50] about Iranian Kurdish forces launching [09:53] an offensive into Iran. And then two [09:55] days later, he reversed course saying, [09:58] quote, "The war is complicated enough [10:00] without getting the Kurds involved." So, [10:01] he's been giving mixed messages. [10:05] Okay. [10:08] Now, [10:11] despite the mixed messages Kurdish [10:12] fighters have received from the Trump [10:14] administration, a new coalition of [10:16] exiled Iranian Kurdish groups, including [10:18] the PAK, have joined forces to take [10:20] advantage of the shifting dynamics [10:22] around Iran and the regime's perceived [10:24] frailty in the leadup and following the [10:27] military action on Iran from Israel and [10:29] the United States. Khaled Azizi, a [10:32] spokesperson for the Democratic Party of [10:34] Iran and Kurdistan, that's another one [10:36] of these groups, which is part of this [10:38] coalition, traveled to Washington to try [10:40] to gain support, and they're looking for [10:42] support from the Trump administration. [10:44] So here you have the uh the governments [10:47] of Iraq, Turkey, and the Kurds in Iraq [10:53] warning [10:55] they warning that there should be no [10:59] Kurdish invasion from from uh Iraqi [11:03] territory. And meanwhile, the Iranian [11:04] Kurdish groups are getting ready for a [11:06] fight. And we see this here also. [11:07] Kurdish forces are prepared to act [11:10] against the regime. PDKI official tells [11:12] the Jerusalem Post. Okay. The Kurdish [11:14] forces have organized mil a mil a [11:16] military and are now awaiting external [11:19] mil material support to arrive before [11:22] they carry out a ground operation in [11:24] Iran. Aha. Okay. The six Kurdish parties [11:28] that recently joined together as a [11:30] coalition were preparing both their [11:31] military and diplomatic forces for the [11:34] potential fall of Thran. But they were [11:36] uncertain if they would play a role. [11:40] Okay. They need external support. And [11:42] this external support has to be from the [11:45] USA. Okay, they were in the guy they [11:47] were interviewing here is Razgar Alani [11:49] who um who is the representative of this [11:52] group in the United Kingdom. [11:55] Okay, and [11:58] he then says, as Mr. Trump said, the [12:00] Kurds are our ally and they already paid [12:02] a heavy price. I don't want them to be [12:04] bullied and hurt. [12:07] Questioned about, now look at this. [12:09] questioned about the recent statements [12:11] against the Kurdish coalition by Iran's [12:13] exiled crown prince Raza Palavi who [12:16] claimed the organizations were [12:17] separatist groups that collaborated with [12:20] Ayatollah Kmeni and were now threatening [12:22] the territorial integrity of Iran. Alani [12:26] rejected that the Kurdish people were [12:28] seeking to damage Iran Iranian [12:30] sovereignty. When the coalition [12:32] announced its formation, the parties [12:33] released a statement swearing to [12:36] continue [12:38] the to struggle for the overthrow of the [12:40] Islamic Republic of Iran to achieve [12:42] Kurdish people's right to [12:43] self-determination and to establish a [12:46] national and democratic entity based on [12:48] the political will of the Kurdish nation [12:50] in Iranian Kurdistan. Alani said that [12:55] the accusations of separatism were often [12:57] used to slander Kurdish groups, but they [13:00] only wanted to see federalism and their [13:03] rights respected and honored. What does [13:06] he mean by federalism? We are Iranians, [13:08] he said, but we are Kurdish Iranians and [13:10] we want to stay inside Iran. We want our [13:14] rights inside Iran. I think this is just [13:17] unfortunately propaganda from some [13:19] opposition. Even the regime in Thran, [13:21] they use this propaganda. [13:23] While admitting there's a dream of [13:25] self-determination and Kurdish [13:26] statehood, Alani asserted that Iran is a [13:28] beautiful and rich country with people [13:31] from all ethnic backgrounds and said he [13:32] would be against destroying that. So, [13:34] here's what's going on. Let me back up [13:36] and explain. The [13:39] the Iranian Kurds identify as Iranian, [13:43] as he said right here, and I've heard [13:44] this before. or I've heard this from [13:46] people I've spoken to to Kurds and that [13:48] I've spoken to actually [13:52] and they what they're looking for is [13:55] federalism and meaning their goal for [13:57] the day after plan when everyone talks [13:58] about what's going to happen to Iran [14:00] after this whole war if and when [14:03] hopefully the regime falls their goal is [14:05] a federalist system where there will be [14:08] a Kurdish autonomous region that is part [14:11] of [14:12] that is part of Iran okay that's what he [14:15] says that they're gunning for. But the [14:18] problem is that there are a lot of [14:20] different groups. So in this piece here [14:22] in the in the Times of Israel, [14:25] they they highlight that problem. Okay. [14:28] The Kurds numbering 30 to 40 million are [14:31] considered the world's largest stateless [14:33] ethnic group. Culturally and [14:34] linguistically close to Persians, they [14:36] are mostly Sunni Muslims living in [14:39] distinct but linked communities [14:40] primarily in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and [14:42] Turkey. [14:44] Okay. [14:46] Syrian Syria's Kurds, the largest ethnic [14:48] minority in the country, make up 9% of [14:51] of that country. Okay. It goes through [14:53] the different [14:55] um [14:58] I want to Here we go. [15:03] It's a fairly poor region of Iran, the [15:05] Kurdish area, like a lot of peripheral [15:07] areas of the country. That breeds [15:09] resentment towards the central [15:10] government. Out of that resentment have [15:12] sprung a range of small armed Kurdish [15:14] groups with diverse ideologies who have [15:17] fought against Iran, against the regime, [15:19] and occasionally against each other. [15:22] The now here they are. The Democratic [15:24] Party of Iranian Kurdistan is the oldest [15:26] of the groups. They're calling for [15:28] regime change and autonomy for Kurds [15:31] within a democratic Iran. As I pointed [15:33] out, that's the federalism concept. The [15:35] Kurdistan Free Life Party is a branch of [15:38] the Marxist PKK and is designated as a [15:42] terrorist group by the US. It's also [15:44] advocating for autonomy in a [15:46] decentralized Iran, but they obviously [15:47] have a different political idea of what [15:49] that autonomy looks like being Marxists. [15:52] Uh they're different than the Democratic [15:54] Party of Iranian Kurdistan. And then you [15:56] have some armed groups like the [15:58] Kurdistan Freedom Party are fighting for [15:59] an independent Kurdish states. An [16:02] independent Kurdish state. Okay? So, [16:04] they don't want federalism at all. This [16:06] is the problem with the Kurds. I [16:08] mentioned this in my previous video [16:09] about them. The Kurds themselves can't [16:11] seem to get along. As I mentioned [16:13] earlier, there's more than a dozen [16:14] different Kurdish groups scattered [16:15] across the region. There's so many of [16:17] them. Meanwhile, you still have a lot of [16:21] uh of Kurdish leaders uh trying to u you [16:25] know tone down the rhetoric and say, [16:26] "Don't worry, don't worry. We're not [16:28] trying to break up Iran. We want to be a [16:29] part of it." Speaking to France 24 from [16:32] an undisclosed location, Abdullah [16:34] Motadi, Secretary General of the Iranian [16:37] Kurdistan opposition Kamala Kala Party, [16:41] described the Kurds as the most [16:43] organized section of Iranian society and [16:46] and saying that, you know, we we don't [16:49] want to again, we don't want to break up [16:50] Iran. We just want federalism. He also [16:53] denied that the CIA and the Mossad were [16:55] helping them. [16:57] And then we have this. Syria's Kurds [17:01] caution Iran's Kurds against aligning [17:04] with the US against Thran. This is so [17:06] fascinating. See, in Syria, in the north [17:09] eastern part of Syria, you have a [17:10] Kurdish population. And before this war [17:13] broke out, one of the big topics that [17:15] was being talked about, and I talked [17:16] about it a fair amount, uh, both here [17:18] and on the Israel 365 news channel, is [17:22] that the Kurds in northeast Syria, who [17:25] helped the Americans fight against ISIS, [17:27] were now being thrown under the bus by [17:29] the Americans. They were being betrayed [17:31] by the Americans as the Americans were [17:33] embracing the Ashara, the Turkish [17:36] aligned Ashara regime. That's uh Al [17:39] Gulani whatever that new jihadist regime [17:41] in Syria that was again a that is an [17:46] extension or a protectorate of Turkey [17:48] really a Turkish aligned regime and they [17:51] and the Americans were undermining the [17:53] Turks independence there. So, here we [17:56] have this story. Kurdish residents of [17:58] northeast Syria warned Iran's Kurds [18:00] against aligning with the US to fight [18:03] the Iranian government, citing their own [18:05] experience in Syria in recent months as [18:07] evidence that their Iranian counterparts [18:09] will be abandoned. [18:11] Okay, look at that. So, that that throws [18:14] another wrinkle into things. And then we [18:17] have this editorial that ran in the [18:19] Jerusalem Post uh a few days ago written [18:23] by a few prominent Iranian exiles saying [18:26] that we are Iranians and we're Kurdish. [18:29] It's not a contradiction. And the [18:31] messaging they're putting out is that [18:32] they are not they are not opposed to [18:36] Resa Palvi. They're not opposed to the [18:38] unity of Iran. They don't really want [18:40] independence and no one should worry [18:42] about that. They're trying to uh to [18:45] counter the charge against them that [18:48] they're trying to break up Iran. Part of [18:51] what what this is all about is that the [18:53] Iranian regime is is saying that the [18:58] Kurds want to break up Iran and that's [19:01] propaganda or they're claim at least [19:03] these groups are claiming it's [19:04] propaganda. We saw that there are some [19:05] Kurdish groups that really want [19:06] autonomy. And the reason they're [19:08] fighting back against that is that one [19:10] of the one of the interesting aspects of [19:13] Iranian culture, Iranian nationalism, is [19:16] that in all of this turmoil, Iranians, [19:20] the territorial integrity of Iran, the [19:22] idea that Iran is one nation of [19:24] Iranians, even though there's a lot of [19:26] different ethnic groups, but that [19:27] there's one Iranian people and one [19:29] Iranian nation is very important to [19:31] Iranians. So whenever anyone talks about [19:33] a possibility of breaking up Iran, that [19:36] actually makes people oppose them. So [19:40] the Kurds don't want to be opposed by [19:42] the Iranian people. So they're trying to [19:45] tamp down these rumors that what they [19:47] really want is their own autonomy. [19:49] Meanwhile, they're waiting on the [19:50] sidelines. They're caught in this in [19:53] this tight spot. We saw a few, you know, [19:54] near the beginning of the war, the [19:56] Israelis were bombing IRGC positions, [19:58] Iranian regime positions near near the [20:01] Iraq Iran border um in an apparent [20:04] attempt to pave the way for a Kurdish [20:06] invasion [20:08] that was reportedly starting, but then [20:11] it wasn't starting. And now we have all [20:13] these pressures coming from Turkey and [20:15] and from Iraq, from Baghdad saying, "No, [20:17] no, no, no. Don't go in there." The [20:19] Iraqis even saying that they'll that [20:21] they'll deploy their own troops to [20:23] prevent a Kurdish invasion. Meanwhile, [20:24] the Kurds are saying they want to invade [20:27] and all they need is air cover from the [20:28] United States. That that's what they're [20:30] waiting for, that assistance, and that [20:32] they can they can play an important role [20:34] in taking down the regime. Right? This [20:36] is what they're saying. Um, you know, [20:39] with Peshmega forces ready, if protected [20:41] and supported enough by the United [20:43] States, we can do a lot of things and it [20:46] could be the beginning of the liberation [20:47] of Iran. So they're they're messaging [20:49] that they can help bring down the regime [20:52] if they just get the military support [20:54] that they you know that they need uh if [20:57] if that's all they need and then they [20:58] can they can really help. They're [21:00] awaiting a green light. They need the [21:02] external support and this external [21:04] support has to be from the USA if they [21:06] haven't received this but they haven't [21:08] received the guarantee yet. These are [21:10] the things that they're saying. So [21:13] that's the Kurdish situation right now. [21:15] It's a it's a tough stalemate situation. [21:18] Again, pressure not to invade by the [21:20] Turks and the Iraqis who might even [21:23] intervene to prevent them from invading [21:26] Iran. Meanwhile, Meanwhile, the Kurds [21:28] are signaling to the Americans, hey, [21:30] give us some air support. The Americans [21:32] have been giving mixed messages since [21:34] the beginning of the war about whether [21:36] they want or don't want the Kurds to to [21:38] invade. The Israelis also, well, the [21:41] Israelis have been not messaging [21:43] anything, but they've been taking [21:44] actions to allow the Kurds the ability [21:48] to go in and invade. And then there's [21:50] the whole issue of do they want their [21:51] independence or not? Um, and do they [21:54] want to carve out do they want to break [21:56] up Iran or do they want to be part of [21:58] Iran? And meanwhile, you have the Syrian [22:00] Kurds saying, "Be careful. Be careful [22:02] about aligning with the United States [22:04] because they'll betray you just like [22:06] they betrayed us." So, that's the [22:08] current situation with the Kurds and uh [22:12] not simple, not a simple scenario, but [22:15] uh let's hope that everything works out [22:17] okay for everybody. But the way I see it [22:20] right now, I don't think the Kurds are [22:22] going to be invading anytime soon, [22:24] especially if the Iraqis uh if the Iraqi [22:27] government, the Iraqi army, the Iraqi [22:28] Kurds, and the Turks are all warning [22:30] them not to do anything and the [22:32] Americans if the Americans don't defy [22:35] the Turks and step up and give air [22:38] cover, [22:39] then it's not going to happen. And I [22:41] don't think the Americans are going to [22:42] do that. Uh the United States has enough [22:44] problems right now managing the [22:46] messaging on this war and it's and it [22:47] and its alliances and what's going on in [22:50] the street of Hormuz and reportedly the [22:52] Turks have told the Americans uh to back [22:55] off of supporting the Kurds. On the [22:58] other hand, allowing the Kurds or [23:00] supporting the Kurds to go in and and [23:02] cross the border that could help [23:05] destabilize the regime even more in the [23:07] northwestern part of Iran. So that's [23:11] where things stand. Hope this update was [23:13] helpful. Thanks for watching. Please [23:15] like, share, subscribe, do all that good [23:17] stuff. And thank you for growing the [23:19] channel.
