What makes a kurd a kurd

How did it come to this? Here's what you need to know:. Who are the Kurds? Fleeing civilians tell CNN they don't know where it's safe The Kurdish people are an ethnic minority group without an official state. Before World War I, Kurds lived a nomadic lifestyle until the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, which stripped them of their freedom and divided them across several nation states.

Read More. Today, there are an estimated million Kurds, the majority living in a region that stretches across parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Armenia. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslims, but the Kurdish population has diverse cultural, social, religious and political traditions as well as a variety of dialects. The Kurds have never achieved nation-state status, except in Iraq, where they have a regional government called Iraqi Kurdistan.

In some areas, Kurds have struggled to maintain their identity and continue to face discrimination and policies of persecution. In Turkey, for example, they're often referred to as " Mountain Turks ," forbidden to wear traditional Kurdish outfits, speak their language or give their children some Kurdish names. They continue to face discrimination and policies of persecution. Where do Kurds live? Today, Kurdistan is made up of five different regions: southeastern Turkey, northeastern Syria, northern Iraq, northwestern Iran and southwestern Armenia.

In the early 20th century, the Kurds began working toward the creation of homeland known as Kurdistan. Three years later, after the end of the war, Western allies dropped demands for an independent Kurdish state and the Kurdish region was divided among several countries. What does Turkey have to say?

Turkish adviser: 'Clear understanding' with US on Syria Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has always adopted a robust attitude against Kurdish nationalism. The President made it clear that his ultimate goal is to eliminate the Kurdistan Workers' Party PKK , a Kurdish far-left militant and political organization based in Turkey and Iraq that fought the Turkish state for more than three decades.

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History Magazine These 3,year-old giants watched over the cemeteries of Sardinia. Amnesty International has charged that the Turkish army and its proxies have committed war crimes during the operation; Turkey denies it. Instability in the region could benefit Islamic State. Although Kurdish-led rebels fought back, especially in border towns, they are no longer capable of neutralizing holdover militant cells.

Kurdish authorities, however, have permitted Syrian troops to return to large areas of northern Syria for the first time in more than five years. It is not clear that the Syrian army will defend the area or that the Kurds will have a civilian authority.

The U. Russia has become the primary power broker in talks between the Kurds, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Turkish government. The Kurds run more than a dozen camps that hold tens of thousands of displaced people. The offensive may displace tens of thousands of others who are fleeing southward to escape the violence.

There are about 6. Under the terms of the Treaty of Lausanne, Turkey is no longer required to grant Kurdish autonomy. Kurdish population is divided among Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran. During Saddam's rule, hundreds of thousands of Kurds had been killed or disappeared. Martial law is imposed to subdue uprisings. Six months later, the cease-fire collapses. President Donald Trump announces on Oct.

Note — Before , Kurds in Syria had no rights and were considered second-class citizens. Most of them were denied citizenship. Search Search.