Trump Consults Iraqi Kurdish Leaders

U.S. President Trump contacted two primary Kurdish factions in Iraq — Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani — on Sunday, following the start of the U.S.-Israel bombing campaign against Iran on Saturday, Axios reported. The discussions were described as “sensitive,” with details not publicly disclosed. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “President Trump has been in contact with many allies and partners in the region throughout the past several days.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long advocated for Kurdish involvement in operations against Iran, maintaining close military, security, and intelligence ties with Kurdish groups in Iraq, Syria, and Iran. Axios sources noted that Netanyahu “has been relentless” in urging strikes on Iran and lobbying the White House to engage Kurdish forces, estimating that certain Kurdish factions “are going to rise up” during the conflict.

The Kurds control strategic areas along the Iran-Iraq border, with thousands of fighters, known as peshmerga, possessing decades of combat experience, including against ISIS in Syria. Six days before the war began, five dissident Kurdish groups based in Iraq announced the formation of the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan to oppose Tehran.