Who are the Kurds and what do they do?

The Kurds are a stateless ethnic group dispersed primarily throughout the Middle Eastern nations of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Armenia, and Syria. Most of them are Sunni Muslims, and the estimated total population of between 25 and 35 million makes them one of the world’s largest stateless peoples. What is their relationship to Turkey?

Did US troops in Iraq feel betrayed by the Kurds?

As U.S. troops pulled out of Kurdish areas they were pelted with potatoes and had insults hurled at them by people who felt betrayed. Gen. Votel said he thought the American soldiers who fought side by side with the Kurds were “as disappointed” as he was by the president’s decision.

Why are Syrian Kurds fleeing from Turkey?

Amid fears of ethnic cleansing by Turkey, the Kurds have agreed to withdraw from a border area where fighting is underway, and now terrified civilians are also fleeing. Special correspondent Jane Ferguson reports. American troops began leaving Syria today, as a tense cease-fire held between Turkish and Syrian Kurdish forces.

What does Trump’s tweet about the Kurds mean?

Trump tweeted last month urging the Kurds to “start heading to the oil region” if they wanted U.S. protection, seemingly referring to a desert area where Kurdish people have never lived.

How many Kurds have been affected by the Turkish invasion of Turkey?

The United Nations announced on Sunday that 130,000 Kurds have evacuated their homes as a result of the invasion, nothing that the number stands to rise as Turkey continues its assault.

What is the relationship between Russia and Syria’s Assad?

Russia has long supported Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, who is opposed by the Kurds, in the Syrian Civil War. Now that the Kurds have been abandoned by the U.S., however, they’ve been forced to strike a military alliance with Russia and Assad in order to fend off the Turkish.