Syrian Kurds to the Iranian Kurds: don’t repeat our mistake by making alliance with the United States
Kurds in northeastern Syria have warned Iranian Kurds against the consequences of an alliance with the United States to fight the Iranian government, citing their own experience in Syria in the past few months and saying its proof that Washington will abandon their Iranian counterparts.
Recent reports revealed that Iranian Kurdish armed groups based in northern Iraq have consulted with the United States in recent days about whether and how to carry out attacks on security forces in western Iran, at a time when the United States and Israel are launching air strikes on Iran, however, the Syrian Kurds have warned their Iranian counterparts against allying with Washington.
Syrian Kurdish fighters allied with the United States more than a decade ago to fight ISIS, establishing a semi-autonomous region in the territory they wrested from the group, but in January, the new Syrian army under President Ahmed al Sharaa took control of most of the areas that had been under Kurdish control after a large-scale offensive.
Syria’s Kurds appealed to the United States to intervene on their behalf, and felt betrayed when Washington instead urged them to integrate with Syrian government forces.
Syria’s Kurds describe this experience as bitter and have learned a lesson from Iran’s Kurds, as according to sources Iranian Kurdish leaders have asked for guarantees from the United States, without specifying their nature.
On the other hand, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that it would be great for Kurdish forces to cross the border from northern Iraq into Iran, but declined to answer a question about whether the United States would provide them with air support if they did, however, he changed his mind on Saturday when he told reporters that he didn’t want Kurdish fighters to enter Iran.
Israel had been in talks with Iranian Kurdish groups based in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region for nearly a year, looking for coordination against Iran.
