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The Trump administration has been in active discussions with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq about providing them with military support, the sources said.

Iranian Kurdish armed groups have thousands of forces operating along the Iraq-Iran border, primarily in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Several of the groups have released public statements since the beginning of the war hinting at imminent action and urging Iranian military forces to defect. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been striking Kurdish groups and said on Tuesday that it targeted Kurdish forces with dozens of drones.

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[-] Furbag@lemmy.world 6 points 19 hours ago

Oh, I've seen this one before!

[-] nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca 1 points 9 hours ago

Turkey is going to love this lol

[-] frog_brawler@lemmy.world 5 points 20 hours ago
[-] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 2 points 19 hours ago

Support Turdsmania. Arm the Turds. Free the Turds.

[-] Bieren@lemmy.today 37 points 1 day ago

Just so we can then abandon and turn our backs on them again.

[-] orbitz@lemmy.ca 1 points 12 hours ago

Yeah like if I was them I'd arm with offerings and give the middle finger when they asked for action. They are owed for being ignored and left to fend for themselves (as I state later my understanding of the situation is almost nil, but you don't keep allies by screwing them over) by what they thought was an ally. But everything is transactional with the memory of a goldfish for this administration.

I'll say I don't know the situation there well at all, maybe accepting whatever is offered with the suggested actions is in their best interest. I hope they can make a decision that doesn't screw them over in the long run (not by their choice for sure to be clear), whatever is needed. Mean being on the wrong side of the CIA has never helped many either. Conflicts suck and it'd be nice if we could figure out how to resolve things peacefully, though I guess that idea belongs in a fairytale these days.

[-] Bakkoda@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Name one time that's backfired.

/s for the specials

[-] electric_nan@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 day ago

I'm sure Turkey will appreciate that.

[-] ParlimentOfDoom@piefed.zip 110 points 2 days ago

CIA has certainly never regretted arming insurgent groups, before...

[-] formergijoe@lemmy.world 77 points 2 days ago

And the Kurds have never regretted allying themselves with the U.S. before https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgrzd76p4lo

[-] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

Surely America won't hang them out to dry a fifth(?) time? ;p

[-] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

Ok, but can we give the Kurds the lasting support and right to immigrate easily we keep promising them? They've been some of our greatest allies, especially in the region (actual allies unlike Israel), and we keep leaving them out to dry.

[-] rarsamx@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 day ago

Isn't this a remake of an 80's movie starring Osama bin Laden?

[-] perestroika@slrpnk.net 65 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Opinion: I think this news is true. I will not tell anyone if this is good or bad news, as it could be both.

Most likely, the CIA has been repeating to Trump and Pentagon like a broken grammophone: "you cannot win by aerial bombardment alone". It seems that now the CIA got authorization to make promises to Kurds, and have delivered weapons. Kurds however, most likely:

  • remember being double-crossed in January (Turkey alerted Iran of their expedition)
  • remember being double-crossed in December (US allowed HTS, now called "Syrian government" to surprise them)
  • remember being double-crossed many times before

They are likely reluctant. According to the sources, they have asked for air support. The source cannot tell if support has been granted. US and Israeli strikes have certainly been above-average intense in Western Iran. An effective ground front might be the amount of pressure it would take to overwhelm Iran. Or maybe not.

Judging by the most recent speech by Reza Pahlavi, where he addresses all ethnic minorities and regional tribes and promises extensive safeguards to their identity and culture if a new Iran should form, I would estimate that a rift exists between Pahlavi's faction (they want an intact but democratic Iran) and the Kurdish factions (50 million Kurds are waiting for an opportunity to set up Kurdistan, 10 million of them live in Iran - this could be a condensation nucleus that starts the formation of a country). Reza Pahlavi obviously cannot promise them that, so he's willing to promise everything else.

As a note: Kurds will not declare statehood quickly at all - they know they must keep a low profile. They know Turkey will attack them if they declare statehood, Iraq will likely attack them, Syria has recently attacked them for mere ambitions of autonomy. They won't declare anything, but may try to carve out a highly autonomous province and see what happens in practise.

However, they will fear being betrayed again for the umpteenth time, which may reduce their eagerness to stick their heads into fire.

And it won't help the US break open the Hormuz strait, because there are no Kurds living there. They live in the western mountains. If Trump wants Hormuz, US soldiers will have to set their own feet on ground.

[-] GreenBeard@lemmy.ca 33 points 2 days ago

Excellent summary. The US has used and abused the Kurds over and over again. While they'd be crazy to not take their opportunity to establish some territorial autonomy, they'd have to be utter fools to trust the US not to stab them in the back again.

How our government has treated and backstabbed the Kurds in the last decade or so is an absolute travesty.

[-] perestroika@slrpnk.net 5 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

Fortunately they remember. Having now observed the process for a few days:

  • apparently, several politicians of Iraqi Kurdistan are not enthusiastic at all about the US war
  • the president of Iraq, who is Kurdish, is not enthusiastic
  • the first lady is publicly un-enthusiastic, writing that they are not guns for hire
  • Iran is bombing Iraqi Kurdistan regardless, so they're learning how to deal with frequent drone attacks
[-] daychilde@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

in the last decade or so

"or so" is lifting a lot there, like a couple more decades.

Not that I'm disagreeing with you; rather, a "yes, but also". heh. :/

[-] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 days ago

“you cannot win by aerial bombardment alone”

Win what?

[-] Patrikvo@lemmy.zip 7 points 2 days ago

The peace prize ofcourse.

[-] Cort@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago

Netanyahu's approval? Doesn't seem like there's any plan besides that. No goals, no exit strategy, no exercises in democracy, just

1 kill all the leaders 2 ????? 3 Profit.

[-] hobovision@mander.xyz 4 points 2 days ago

I imagine they think winning means installing a puppet government. That government being successful? Well that's the next guy's problem...

[-] couldhavebeenyou@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

There are two things that get brought up in this topic

The Kurds being betrayed: well there's of course the situation where during the Syrian civil war they were coming under attack from islamist forces, not in the least ISIS, known for killing all the men and boys and raping and enslaving all the women and girls.

So do you think they have a lot of remorse that they accepted weapons, intel and air support during that time?

Of course they hoped to gain backing for their own state and the US leaving them to fend for themselves could feel like betrayal, but you'd have to weigh in the alternative to the initial 'deal' they got.

Wrt Iran: it's funny that a lot of Lemmings seem to agree that the regime of Iran is horrendous. However, when the question is raised on how the Irani people can topple their dictatorship when they don't possess any weapons, they just shrug (or start about Israel lol). And then when the first realistic opportunity pops up where the Iranian people could get weapons and could fight the regime themselves, ... Well you can see the responses in your topic lol

[-] theolodis@feddit.org 3 points 1 day ago

Wrt Iran: it's funny that a lot of Lemmings seem to agree that the regime of Iran is horrendous. However, when the question is raised on how the Irani people can topple their dictatorship when they don't possess any weapons, they just shrug (or start about Israel lol). And then when the first realistic opportunity pops up where the Iranian people could get weapons and could fight the regime themselves, ... Well you can see the responses in your topic lol

They are now arming the Kurds, a minority of around 10 million people in a country of 90 million. That's not going to help the resistance against the regime, if anything it'll rip up Iran into multiple autonomous territories.

Also, do you think the people that went to the streets will keep doing that after the USA and Israel started bombing the cities, hospitals, and schools? Most likely the air strikes provoked the opposite, nothing better than an unprovoked foreign aggression to unify people.

[-] couldhavebeenyou@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 day ago

There's around 5m+ backing the regime, 80+ against. I don't see how arming the Kurds is "not going to help the resistance". Can you explain how it's not going to help them?

[-] theolodis@feddit.org 4 points 1 day ago

Because the Kurds are living mostly in the north west bordering Iraq and Turkey, and the protesters were mostly in the big cities across the country.

So arming one ethnic group in one part of the country will most likely not lead to a revolution across the country, specially when considering that the most important concern for Kurds is to get independence a.k.a. Kurdistan, not to rule over Iran.

[-] couldhavebeenyou@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

But how does it "not help"?

If you want those other 70m to stand a chance, anything that puts pressure on the regime is going to help them

Any resistance fighter that takes out even one islamist is going to help them

[-] theolodis@feddit.org 1 points 1 day ago

How did arming the Kurds in Syria help against the Islamists? Isn't the current president one?

[-] couldhavebeenyou@lemmy.zip 2 points 21 hours ago

They were able to stop the advance of and largely defeat ISIS in that period in time

The current president is indeed an islamist but he's coming from Al-Nusra and was able to take over with arms and support from Turkey.

Maybe they could have stopped those other islamists as well in the last couple of weeks if they would still have had support from the US ;-)

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[-] Akh@lemmy.world 50 points 2 days ago

Didnt trump betray the kurds like not that long ago?

[-] aquovie@lemmy.cafe 41 points 2 days ago

It's on the GOP President's Must-Do list going back to Bush Sr:

  • Cause a financial crisis
  • Start a war in the Middle East
  • Inflame racial tensions
  • Betray the Kurds
[-] MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 7 points 2 days ago

"BuT tEh DeMoCrAtS lEfT uS sUcH a MeSs To cLeAn Up"

(Always referring to whatever fresh hell they were up to the last time they were in the seat)

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[-] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago

Yes. And they will remember that. This is every single time we have interfered with Iran's government all happening again all at once. Expect similar results.

[-] itslilith 34 points 2 days ago

sun rises in the east US betrays the Kurds

I don't trust a single word out of the lying imperialists' mouth, and from what I'm hearing, Kurdish leaders about had it as well

[-] how_we_burned@lemmy.zip 27 points 2 days ago

Hey if he is willing to give em weapons, supplies and gear then they should take it all and then sit on their hands.

[-] yakko@feddit.uk 14 points 2 days ago

That would be the funniest shit

[-] gergolippai@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago

after the success of contras in nicaragua/colombia, mujahideen in afghanistan, and many other places that don't come to mind right away, we bring you... kurds in iran! i mean trump will definetely not be around to see the long term effects, and maybe hegseth is also dead by the time it peters out, so all fine, right?

[-] Ibisalt@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

kurds and shiits in irak

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[-] Mrkawfee@feddit.uk 15 points 2 days ago

Kurds are always happy to be used as pawns by the US

[-] couldhavebeenyou@lemmy.zip 12 points 2 days ago

I think they sure were happy not to get slaughtered by ISIS

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[-] inari@piefed.zip 15 points 2 days ago

Where have I see this movie before? 

[-] discocactus@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago

Fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again...

[-] redsand@infosec.pub 4 points 1 day ago

John Ratcliffe is going to intentionally fuck this up and get as many Americans killed as he can trying to create a justification.

[-] MrSulu@lemmy.ml 8 points 2 days ago

Headline should read, " Stand by for future wave of ISIS and Taliban".

[-] chaogomu@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago

The Kurds have never been part of ISIS or the Taliban.

No, the Kurds are the ethnicity that always sides with the US, and then the US abandons them.

Been happening since at least the 1920s.

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We make all the bad guys! Then blame them and use them!

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[-] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 5 points 2 days ago

Kurds using new weapons to stage terrorist attacks in Turkey in 3... 2...

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this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2026
317 points (100.0% liked)

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