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: Turkey Iran Iraq 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: the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI) Komala the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) ...