US/Israel-Iran war: America turns to Kurdish rebels as hope of popular uprising in Iran falters

The United States intelligence agency, the CIA, has a history of working with Kurdish groups.

The US government is in talks with Kurdish armed groups and is considering arming them to foment an uprising in Iran that could topple the Islamic government.

CNN reported on Wednesday that the administration is actively discussing with Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq and northwestern Iran, as President Donald Trump’s call for a popular uprising in the country failed to yield desired results. 

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Trump, before and after the death of the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, had urged Iranians to take to the streets and bring an end to the Iranian government. 

Mr Trump told Iranians to “take back their country.” It was a charge for a large uprising from a president who earlier made it clear that his goal for launching an unprovoked attack on Iran was to trigger regime change. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also repeatedly made the same call.

However, events in Iran show that despite days of bombing, there is no indication of a popular uprising among citizens.

Although not all Iranians support the government, and there were massive protests against the government due to a spiralling economy caused by US sanctions on Iran, the US and Israeli bombings appear to be unable to get Iranians to take up arms against their government.

Instead, thousands of Iranians across the country have gathered at different times during the war to show solidarity with their government. They gathered to mourn Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and bury about 165 schoolgirls killed in a strike by the US and Israel, with many carrying Iranian flags and Mr Khamenei’s photo and chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” Millions of Iranians are also expected to gather across the country during a funeral ceremony the government plans for Mr Khamenei. The ceremony was scheduled for Thursday but was postponed for logistical reasons, officials said.

Now seeming unable to steer armed insurrection within Iran, the US now appears to be turning towards Kurdish rebels, a minority group in the fringes of Iran, Iraq and Turkey.

Kurdish rebels have for years opposed the Iranian government and carried out numerous attacks in the Kurdistan province of Iran.

They have also carried out attacks in other Western provinces.

Kurdish rebels operate along the Iraq-Iran border, where Iran and Iraq’s Kurdish minorities share close ties.

US officials told CNN that the administration intends to use the Kurds to stretch Iranian forces, give room for an uprising, or help seize and control northern Iran, which would create a buffer for Israel.

On Thursday, Iran targeted Kurdish groups in their semi-autonomous region of neighbouring Iraq in what is believed to be a move to prevent armed Kurdish fighters from entering Iran.

Al Jazeera quotes Iran’s Press TV as reporting early on Thursday that the military was targeting “anti-Iran separatist forces”, without specifying the location of the strikes.

US contacts the Kurds

NBC reported that President Donald Trump called and discussed with Kurdish leaders in Iraq on Sunday, a day after the attack on Iran started. 

Axois identified the leaders as members of two Kurdish groups in Iraq. That is, Masoud Barzani, who leads the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, described the interaction as an effort to reach out to key partners in the region.

Ms Leavitt, when asked about the conversations with the Kurds during a briefing, said, “President Trump has been in contact with many allies and partners in the region throughout the past several days.”

She claimed the conversations with Kurdish leaders were “with respect to our base that we have in northern Iraq” and that they had not yet agreed to a plan.

Although it seeks the collapse of the Iranian government, the Trump-led administration has yet to outline a clear strategy for what it can achieve without on-the-ground troops.

The US government appears to be considering the use of Kurdish rebels as an alternative to deploying US ground troops.

However, Mr Trump said he has not ruled out sending troops into Iran, a policy which many analysts have suggested would be a colossal disaster.

He also said several of the individuals the US viewed as potential options for replacing Khamenei have been killed, noting that the worst outcome would be for a leader to take over who is equally as hard-line as Khamenei.

“I guess the worst case would be, we do this, and then somebody takes over who’s as bad as the previous person, right? That could happen. We don’t want that to happen. So, we’d like to see somebody in there that’s going to bring it back for the people,” he said.

US history with Kurdish rebels

The United States intelligence agency, the CIA, has a history of working with Kurdish groups in northern Iraq, particularly after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

During that conflict, American forces worked closely with Kurdish fighters, including the Peshmerga, in operations against the government of Saddam Hussein and other militant groups.

In Syria, Washington also supported Kurdish-led forces during the fight against extremist groups such as ISIS.

It also provided weapons, training, and military assistance to Kurdish militias that later became a key part of the Syrian Democratic Forces.

The US has a long history of supporting or funding armed groups across different countries to weaken or pressure governments considered hostile to US interests.