- Trump calls Iraqi Kurdish forces to target Iranian security forces
- Kurdish groups, Peshmerga history, and tensions in Iran
Hyderabad: The ongoing US Israel war with Iran has taken a crucial turn. US President Donald Trump has called on Iraqi Kurdish forces to attack security forces in Iran. He also said the United States should have a role in choosing Iran’s next leader.
Trump made the remarks during an interview. He openly expressed support for Kurdish forces operating along the Iran Iraq border. “I have full support for the Kurdish forces on the iran-Iraw border to attack Iran. A person who is favourable to America will be the next Supreme Leader of iran. America must have a role in the selection,” he said. The call for Kurdish forces is seen as a possible trigger for internal conflict inside Iran.
The Kurds are the largest ethnic group in the world without a country of their own. Their population is estimated at 30 to 40 million worldwide. They live mainly in mountainous regions near Armenia, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. Most Kurds follow Sunni Islam, although people of other religions also live within the community.
Modern Middle East borders were drawn after the fall of the Ottoman Empire about a century ago. However, the Kurds were not given a separate country. As a result, they have no national flag, map or central government. Because of this history, Kurds often say, “We have no friends except the mountains.” Their struggle for autonomy and a separate homeland continues.
Violence has marked several Kurdish conflicts. More than 40,000 people have died in clashes between Kurdish groups and the Turkish government. Chemical attacks were also carried out against Kurds in Iraq during the rule of Saddam Hussein. Later, after the 1991 Gulf War, Kurdish groups formed an autonomous region in northern Iraq.
Kurds also took part in the 1979 revolution in Iran that overthrew the Shah. They hoped the new Islamic Republic government would grant autonomy. However, the government rejected their demands. Since then, Kurdish groups have continued to fight against Iranian authorities.
Tensions rose again after the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman, in 2022. Large protests followed, and thousands of people died during demonstrations reported in January 2026. Despite helping defeat the Islamic State in Syria, Kurdish aspirations for an independent homeland have not been fulfilled.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is reportedly seeking support from Kurdish guerrilla fighters known as the Peshmerga, or “death seekers.” These fighters are experienced in mountain warfare. Trump believes that Kurdish attacks along the border could force Iran to shift its main army there. That, he believes, could weaken Iran’s defenses and encourage other ethnic groups inside Iran to rebel.
At the same time, the United States is planning to control some areas if Kurdish forces capture them with US air support. However, Iraqi Kurdish leaders currently say they will remain neutral. They argue that in many past conflicts the Kurds became pawns and suffered heavy losses.
Still, Kurdish groups have remained in contact with US officials over the past few days. While US and Israeli forces continue bombing from outside Iran, Kurdish fighters are believed to be planning strategies that could weaken Iranian security forces from within.
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