Who are the Kurds?

When it comes to Iraq, we hear so much about the Sunnis and Shiites. One group you may also see in the news is the Kurds, who have significant presence and autonomy in Northern Iraq.

So let’s review: Who are the Kurds?
In a nutshell they are an ethnic group of about 20 million in the Middle East, with their own language and culture. Many are Sunni Muslims though most are secular, meaning not overly religious.

A little history
For hundreds of years they roamed Kurdistan, a large swath of land spanning the Northern part of the Middle East and what is today Turkey. After World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire (the powerful civilization that ruled parts of Europe, Africa and Asia from 1299-1922), the Kurds were divided across the territory of many of their historical enemies. Though promised their own state, it never materialized. Today the majority live in Turkey but you’ll find Kurds in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Armenia.

Kurds in Iraq
About 5 million Kurds live in Iraq’s northern region, or Iraqi Kurdistan. Since the early 90s, following their failed rebellion against Saddam Hussein after the first Gulf War and subsequent creation of a United Nations “safe haven” for them in Northern Iraq, they have essentially ruled themselves and have security troops and a judicial system. Under the new Iraqi Constitution they maintained much autonomy, including strong regional authority.

If you look at a timeline of Kurds in Iraq there are many periods of conflict as they tried to assert independence, and many attempts were thwarted by Saddam Hussein. In the 1980s they sided with Iran in the Iran-Iraq War and Iraqi forces unleashed a chemical warfare, killing between 50,000 and 100,000 Kurds, according to Human Rights Watch. Saddam Hussein and others are now on trial for that warfare, specifically the gassing of Halabja, to include “Chemical Ali,” his cousin whose nickname stems from these attacks. They are charged with genocide.

The big picture
The Kurds will likely play a bigger role in Iraq’s government, already representing 20% of parliament. The president is Kurdish, too. Their region is oil rich, and should the United States put “permanent” military bases in Iraq, they may end up in Iraqi Kurdistan.