Militia

The Kurds' moment: Why Iran’s Kurdish opposition thinks history is turning in its favor

MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS: Kurdish groups in Iran and Iraq have faced incredible hardships. They have persevered. Now they sense that their moment has arrived.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
KURDISH GEN. Hussein Yazdanpanah, whom the writer first met almost a decade ago, has been fighting for Kurdish sovereignty for years.
Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim men from the Iranian-backed group Kataib Hezbollah wave the party's flags as they walk along a street painted in the colours of the Israeli flag during a parade marking the annual Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Baghdad

Iranian-backed militias in Iraq struck by missiles, possibly of Israeli origin - report

Iraqi Shiite militias linked with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including Kataib Hezbollah and other Popular Mobilization Forces groups, were targeted in Israeli strikes, local media claims.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
FILE PHOTO: Residents gather as machinery clears the debris of a damaged house, following the Pakistani air strikes, in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, February 22, 2026.

Pakistan arrests dozens amid fears of rising insurgent attacks after air strikes

Pakistan carried out air strikes on targets in Afghanistan over the weekend on what it said were militant targets responsible for a spate of recent suicide bombings on Pakistani soil.

|ByREUTERS
Fighters from the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an Iranian Kurdish opposition group, are pictured near the border with Iran in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, in the outskirts of Sulaimaniya, Iraq, June 21, 2025.

Iranian citizens' freedom may depend on cooperation with Israel, PJAK commander says

Peyman Vian, commander of Iranian-Kurdish PJAK, leader of the "most powerful" guerrilla force fighting the Islamic Regime, was interviewed by Israeli journalist Itai Anghel.

|ByLARA SUKSTER MOSHEYOF

Syrian security forces arrested over participation in July's Sweida violence, cm'tee confirms

Syria committee into the investigation of July's violence issued a statement on Sunday, which also found there is no proof that "foreign fighters" participated in the Druze-Bedouin clashes.

NOVEMBER 17, 2025ByJAMES GENN
People hold a Druze flag, following deadly clashes between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribes and government forces, in Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria July 25, 2025.

US must keep Iraq central as Iran rebuilds its Ring of Fire - opinion

If Iran and its proxies are quiet, it is strategic, not surrender.

NOVEMBER 10, 2025ByERIC R. MANDEL
IRAQ’S PRIME MINISTER Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani (left) meets with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran earlier this year. Israeli officials warn that Iranian-controlled Iraqi militias are regaining strength, the writer notes.

Gaza militia leader says his group is one of four backed by Israel to take down Hamas - Sky News

Hossam al-Astal claimed that four militia groups fighting against Hamas were working as part of a coordinated effort on Project New Gaza.

OCTOBER 25, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
members of the Abu Shabab Popular Forces militia in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas influencer Saleh Aljafarawi, known as 'Mr. FAFO', killed in Gaza

According to Gazan reports, Aljafarawi — one of the most prominent pro-Hamas voices online in the Gaza Strip — was found shot in the head.

OCTOBER 12, 2025ByLIRAN HARONI
Saleh Aljafarawi.

Anti-Hamas Abu Shabab militia: 'We will keep defending position in Rafah' amid ceasefire - report

The Abu Shabab militia told Ynet that they welcomed the ceasefire agreement, but have no intention of leaving their positions in Rafah, and will continue to "defend their lands."

OCTOBER 9, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
members of the Abu Shabab Popular Forces militia in the Gaza Strip.

ISIS terrorists kill five, wound one US-backed SDF soldiers in northeast Syria

ISIS terrorists targeted Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces soldiers in northeast Syria, killing five and wounding one. The SDF claims they thwarted the attack and vowed to avenge the "martyrs."

SEPTEMBER 26, 2025ByJAMES GENN
Members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) hold a flag in the divided city of Deir al-Zor, Syria December 7, 2024.

Disarming Hezbollah: The five-phase Lebanese plan is actually happening - opinion

The Lebanese military drew up a five-phase disarmament plan that is being implemented.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2025ByNEVILLE TELLER
LEBANESE FOREIGN MINISTER Youssef Raggi heads to a cabinet meeting in Baabda, Lebanon, last month. He declared that within three months, the army will have fully disarmed Hezbollah in the area nearest the border with Israel, says the writer.

The US sanctioned Iraqi militias, but will the militias be affected? - analysis

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is suspected of funding and aiding non-state militias responsible for multiple violent attacks and raids in Iraq.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi attends a military parade for the members of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) marking its eighth anniversary, in Diyala province, Iraq July 23, 2022.

Armed Gaza clans turn on Hamas as IDF advances deeper into Gaza City

Local clans across Gaza are pushing back against Hamas control, forming understandings with the IDF and fighting in areas under pressure from Israel’s military offensive.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2025ByAMIR BOHBOT
Palestinians from clans hold guns and melee weapons to secure aid trucks in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, June 25, 2025.

At least 34 soldiers kidnapped in Colombia after clashes with FARC dissidents

The clashes occurred in a rural part of the El Retorno municipality in the southeastern province of Guaviare and involved members of the Central General Staff

AUGUST 26, 2025ByREUTERS
A policeman stands next to a well where minerals taken from illegal gold mines are washed in Buritica, Colombia, on April 20, 2021. (REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez)