Kurdistan

Mahmud, 11, Ayyub, 7, and their mother, Felicia Perkins-Ferreira, walk toward the boat that will take them out of Syria, across the river to Iraq, so they can start their journey home to Trinidad.

World News

Trinidadian Kids Taken Away To ISIS Reunite With Mom, Thanks To Help From A Rock Star

5:32pm January 26, 2019

After four years in Syria, two brothers returned home to Trinidad this week, following an extraordinary intervention by their mother, a renowned human rights lawyer and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd.

Education

When Erbil Meets Boone: Appalachian State University Hosts Visitors From Kurdistan, Iraq

6:48am May 18, 2018

by David Ford

Over the last few decades, the United States' relationship with Iraq has been tense, to say the least.

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Masoud Barzani stepped down last week as president of Iraq's Kurdistan regional government. The independence referendum he pushed through resulted in a military attack by Iraqi forces. But, he tells NPR, "I am very proud that we have given the opportunity

World News

After Iraqi Kurdish Independence Vote Backfires, 'I Do Not Regret It,' Says Barzani

1:11pm November 07, 2017

by Jane Arraf

In his first interview since pushing through an independence referendum that resulted in an Iraqi military attack, Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani tells NPR he's still "very proud" of the result.

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Photos of Kurdish president Masoud Barzani hang Wednesday on the walls of the central bazaar in Irbil, Iraq.

World News

In Major Reversal, Iraqi Kurds Offer To Freeze Their Independence Bid

4:03pm October 25, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

Iraqi military forces have recently retaken control of areas held by Kurdish forces, such as the city of Kirkuk. Today's offer from the Kurdish government is not likely to defuse the crisis.

Iraqi forces use heavy equipment to damage a poster of Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani on the southern outskirts of Kirkuk, as Baghdad seeks to take control of the city from the Kurds.

World News

Iraqi Troops Enter Kirkuk, Seeking To Take Oil-Rich Area Back From Kurds

3:07pm October 16, 2017

by Bill Chappell

Kurdish media outlets quoted the Peshmerga General Command as calling the attack "a flagrant declaration of war against the nation of Kurdistan."

Melanie Shurka dedicates hours to make the Iraqi and Kurdish dumpling soup kubeh. It has become a beloved dish in Israel and a defining food of Mizrachi cookery, or the food of the Jews who settled in the Middle East.

An Iraqi-Kurdish-Israeli Dumpling Soup Makes Its Way To America

1:29pm August 10, 2017

by Devra Ferst

To make kubeh soup, braised beef is stuffed into semolina and ground bulgur dumplings. Brought to Israel by immigrants, this time-consuming dish has become one of the nation's culinary treasures.

Yacoub Youssef, in charge of the small city of Jalawla in northern Iraq, stands on a bridge rebuilt by residents after it was blown up by ISIS. The city was heavily damaged and is in disputed territory – claimed by both the Iraqi and Kurdish governments

World News

In Disputed Iraqi Territory, Rebuilding A City Means Doing It Yourself

4:44pm January 11, 2017

by Jane Arraf

After ISIS was forced out and no government took responsibility for rebuilding, residents repaired bridges, schools and markets. The effort is thanks to Yacub Youssef, a former sports teacher.

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The temple of Sharfadin in Northern Iraq is 800 years old, and followers of the Yazidi religion consider it one of the most sacred sites in the world. Though ISIS tried to destroy it, a small group of Yazidi fighters kept the shrine standing.

World News

Outmanned And Outgunned, Fighters Defend Yazidi Shrine Against ISIS

9:08pm February 13, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

Led by a celebrated Yazidi fighter, a small band of Kurdish peshmerga survived a months-long ISIS onslaught. Unlike others in Syria and Iraq, this sacred place still stands, nearly unscathed.

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Syrian Kurdish fighter Delkhwaz Sheikh Ahmad, 22, sits with his wife Siham, 23, and their two sons, Dilyar and Ibrahim, at his brother's house on the Turkey-Syria border on Friday. He was preparing to leave for Kobani, Syria, to rejoin the fighting agains

World News

Understanding The Kurds' Different Roles In Different Conflicts

7:16pm October 22, 2014

by NPR Staff

The Kurds are deeply involved in the current conflicts in Syria and Iraq. But their roles vary in countries throughout the region, so we wanted to step back and take a broader look at the Kurds.

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Aza Betwata (left) and his brother Mirwan (center) left Holland to join the Kurdish peshmerga fighting against ISIS militants in northern Iraq. Though the brothers come from a family of fighters, Aza had just two days of training — his brother must show

World News

Kurds Leave Life In Europe To Fight ISIS In Their Iraqi Homeland

9:33am October 21, 2014

by Alice Fordham

Until August, 24-year-old Aza Betwata was in Holland, enjoying beef and cabbage and studying to be a social worker. Now, he's among the hundreds of exiled Kurds who have returned and taken up arms.

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