Who are the Kurds? War Update InfoPod — Morning GMT You’re listening to the War Update InfoPod
Who are the Kurds?
The Kurds are one of the largest ethnic groups in the world without their own independent country.
There are around 30–40 million Kurds, spread across four main states:
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Turkey
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Iran
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Iraq
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Syria
They share their own language, culture, and identity, and many Kurdish movements have historically sought autonomy or independence, often called Kurdistan.
The only place where Kurds currently have formal self-rule is in northern Iraq — the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Inside Iran, Kurds make up roughly 8–10% of the population, mainly in the north-west of the country near the Iraqi border.
Why the Kurds matter in the Iran war
As the conflict enters Day 6, Kurdish groups are becoming a potentially important ground-force factor.
Several Iranian Kurdish opposition militias are based just across the border in northern Iraq.
These include groups such as:
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the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI)
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Komala
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the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK)
These organisations have fought the Iranian government for decades.
Now they see the war as a possible opportunity.
What they may do in the war
There are reports that Kurdish fighters are preparing to enter Iran from bases in northern Iraq.
Their possible roles include:
Opening a ground front
While Israel and the United States conduct air and missile strikes, Kurdish fighters could launch ground attacks in western Iran.
Exploiting Iranian weakness
Israeli airstrikes have hit military sites in Kurdish areas of Iran, which could create space for Kurdish militias to move in.
Supporting regime-change pressure
Some U.S. officials have reportedly discussed coordinating with Kurdish groups about potential operations against Iranian security forces.
Why this is extremely sensitive
If Kurdish forces enter the war, it could dramatically widen the conflict.
Three reasons:
1. It could trigger civil conflict inside Iran.
Kurdish uprisings could encourage other minorities to rebel.
2. It risks destabilising Iraq.
Iraq’s government has promised not to allow attacks on Iran from its territory.
3. Iran sees Kurdish militias as separatists.
Iranian forces have already launched missiles and drones at Kurdish bases in Iraq in the past.
Day 6 — the strategic picture
So on Day 6 of the war, the Kurdish factor represents a potential new ground theatre.
Up to now the conflict has mostly been:
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airstrikes
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missiles
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naval incidents
But if Kurdish militias move into Iran, the war could shift into insurgency or internal rebellion.
That would change the conflict from a state-to-state war into something closer to regional destabilisation inside Iran itself.
