The Economist explains

Who the Kurds are

Rarely have the Kurds received so much attention. But who are they exactly?

By S.B. | CAIRO

RARELY have the Kurds received so much attention. But ever since the jihadists calling themselves Islamic State started to take over large swathes of Iraq in June, the Kurds have proved their military mettle. In Iraq, they stepped in to take areas that the federal security forces abandoned and battled to protect Erbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. In Syria they have been fighting to stop Kurdish areas including Kobane, a town on the Turkish border, from falling into jihadist hands. They have been supported in their fight by airstrikes from the American-led coalition since August, who have also provided them with training and weapons.

Historically nomads, the Kurds are spread across Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Armenia. When the Ottoman Empire was defeated in the first world war the winning Western powers outlined a Kurdish state, known as Kurdistan, but that never came to fruition. Since then many Kurds have fought for autonomy or independence, and have been repressed in return. In Iraq, Saddam Hussein tried to eliminate the Kurds, most notably attacking them with chemical weapons in Halabja in 1988. In Turkey, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, better known as the PKK, has battled the government for some 30 years (although a fragile ceasefire is currently in place). And in Syria some 300,000 Kurds were stateless and banned from using their own language and culture.

The Kurds, who are estimated to number 20m-30m, share not only the fight against Islamic State but a race, culture and language. Most are Sunni Muslims, but Kurdish areas are known for their tolerance and the plurality of their sects. Thousands of Christians fled from other parts of Iraq to the northern Kurdish region during the violence of 2006-2007. This year they were joined by many thousands more who have fled from Islamic State. Since 1991 Iraq’s Kurdish region has had semi-autonomy from Baghdad; Kurdish is the national language. In Syria the Kurds have largely ruled themselves since Bashar Assad withdrew the majority of his forces from Kurdish regions in 2012. These areas have oil and agriculture aplenty. The Kurds have skilled fighters (both men and women) and a vibrant political scene. Today Kurdish areas are some of the most stable and well-governed parts of the region, despite endemic corruption.

This, and the central role Kurds are now playing in the international fight against Islamic State, may make it harder to ignore Kurdish pleas for greater autonomy, if not independence. Yet many obstacles remain. America has long said it believes independence for Iraqi Kurdistan would destabilise that country. Although Turkey has close relations with Iraq’s Kurds in Erbil, Ankara is worried that any further self-rule will might inspire their own Kurds, who make up 10-15% of the population, to secede. Peace talks with the PKK that started in 2012 have been strained of late because Turkey has refused to assist the Kurds in the fight for Kobane. But the more the Kurds participate in bashing Islamic State, the more they will ask for in return.

Dig deeper:
The coalition against IS is hobbled by splits and inadequate resources (Oct 2014)
Amid the fallout from IS’s continuing siege of Kurdish forces in Kobane, the Turkish government takes on the PKK again (Oct 2014)
What is the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims? (May 2013)

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