Ceasefire or strategy?: Why Iraq’s militias are pausing attacks

The announcement of a temporary pause in strikes on the US embassy in Baghdad by the powerful pro-Iran militia Kataib Hezbollah has led to an uneasy calm, with experts offering their takes on the nature of the ceasefire and the likelihood of renewed attacks.

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How Iraq’s PMF is getting increasingly involved in the Iran war

While the PMF leadership denies responsibility for attacks on US bases, several Iran-aligned factions within the PMF have claimed the strikes, prompting retaliatory strikes by the US, and putting the Iraqi government in a difficult position as it tries to balance relations with both Washington and Tehran.

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What happens with Iran’s Kurds after President Trump’s U-turn?

After US President Donald Trump walked back on the idea of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups launching a cross-border ground offensive in Iran, The New Region's Wladimir van Wilgenburg spoke with numerous opposition officials regarding the future awaiting Iran's Kurds.

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Iran-aligned Iraqi ‘Islamic Resistance’ groups resurface from the shadows

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of shadow pro-Iran militia groups, has resurfaced following the onset of the US and Israel's war with Iran, carrying out attacks on US bases in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

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Strikes, power cuts, uncertainty: US-Israel war with Iran impacts Kurdistan Region

It remains to be seen in the next few days if the Iranian attacks will continue in the Kurdistan Region, and if the current weakened Iranian regime stays or will fall. The outcome remains unclear, but the Kurdistan Region is working to uphold its peace despite missiles and drones flying overhead, and with the Region bordering Iran. 

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EXCLUSIVE: Iran’s Kurdish opposition has ‘no relationship’ with US, says PJAK co-chair

Five Kurdish opposition parties from western Iran (Rojhelat) on Sunday announced the formation of a joint coalition called the “Alliance of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan." Days after the agreement, The New Region interviewed Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) co-chair Peyman Viyan, who signed the agreement on behalf of PJAK.

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Areen Masrour Barzani: Bridging the Kurdistan Region and the Gulf

The ever-strengthening relationship between the Gulf states, most saliently the UAE, and the Kurdistan Region lies in no small part due to the diplomatic efforts of Areen Masrour Barzani, with the next generation of Kurdish leaders paving the way for enduring future partnerships.

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‘Break the borders’: Kurdistan Region youth join Rojava resistance

What started as a military campaign to drive out Kurdish-led forces from the Kurdish-majority quarters of Aleppo in early January, has now turned into what Rojava authorities have described as an “existential” war, prompting Kurdish youth in the Kurdistan Region to defy borders to fight alongside their kin in Rojava.

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Between fear and home: Life after displacement in Aleppo’s Kurdish quarter

More than 155,000 were displaced from the Kurdish quarter of Aleppo following last week's bloody violence. Now, they must make a difficult decision: Return to an uncertain home, or start elsewhere anew.

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