Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

Trump’s Betrayal of the Kurds

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Next to the Jews of Israel, it is the Kurds who have been the most loyal and effective allies of the United States in the Middle East. It was the Kurds who helped the Americans defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) in both Syria and Iraq; it was the Kurds who took on themselves the task of guarding thousands of captured ISIS fighter and tens of thousands of family members of ISIS combatants; it was the Kurds in Iraq who helped defeat Saddam Hussein’s loyalists. But the Americans have not reciprocated; they have repeatedly let down the Kurds. And in Syria just now, they have allowed the jihadist military  dominated by soldiers belonging to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to forcibly “integrate” the Kurdish SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) into the Syrian Army, thereby giving up their separate militia and the autonomy it secured.

More on America’s abandonment of the Kurds can be found here: “The Kurds of Syria Learn American Betrayal,” by Kamal Chomani, Middle East Forum, January 19, 2026:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on January 8, 2026, that Israel aims to free itself from U.S. military aid within a decade. It was a striking admission, not because it was new, but because it reflected a broader reality: The United States is no longer the reliable security guarantor it once claimed to be. The America many in the Middle East relied upon has increasingly behaved in un-American ways: transactional, erratic, indifferent to the fate of its partners. Few have learned this lesson more than the Kurds of Syria.

Consider the record. The United States intervened in Afghanistan and failed. In Iraq, it again failed. In Libya, it became a disaster. Then came Syria. Washington spent nearly $500 million on a train-and-equip program that produced roughly fifty fighters, many of whom eventually defected to Al Qaeda–linked groups. By 2014, the Islamic State had emerged as a global existential threat, filling the vacuum left by these failures.

It was not the United States and its NATO allies that stopped the Islamic State. In fact, NATO member Turkey and U.S. ally Qatar supported and funded the Islamic State. It was the Kurds of Syria and Iraq and the Iraqis who supported the Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State. Between 2014 and 2017, Kurdish-led forces dismantled the Islamic State’s territorial “caliphate” in less than three years. For the first time in decades, a U.S. military intervention was broadly supported across ideological lines, from people like Bernard-Henri Lévy to Noam Chomsky, from Marxists to liberals to conservatives. Aside from Turkey and the current Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, no serious actor opposed U.S. support for the Kurds in the fight against the Islamic State.

And yet, once the Islamic State was defeated, Washington did what it has done repeatedly: It walked away. Under both Trump administrations, the United States abandoned the Kurds. The message was unmistakable: Battlefield sacrifice does not translate into political protection….

How can the Americans make sure that Kurds are allowed to govern the areas where they are the majority? They can threaten Ahmed al-Sharaa with reimposing the sanctions on Syria that Washington just recently lifted. He’ll promptly comply. The Kurds might also be allowed to keep their troops together as a single fighting force within the Syrian National Army, rather than breaking up those Kurdish forces and spreading them out among Arab-dominated units.

The Syrian government must be judged primarily on how it treats the country’s minorities — the Druze, Kurds, Alawites, and even the 300,000 Christians. If the government refuses to treat them as equal citizens of the Sunni Arabs, Syria will remain unstable, subject to intermittent violence, whether emanating from disaffected members of those minorities, or more likely, by Sunni Arabs choosing to inflict more pain on those minorities, showing them who’s boss. The Americans can use the threat of sanctions to force Ahmed al-Sharaa to protect the minorities, but will they? Donald Trump has been infatuated with al-Sharaa ever since their White House meeting, calling this jihadist a “young, attractive guy, tough guy, strong past,” a “very strong leader,” and a “fighter.” That “strong past” Trump mentioned is a bizarre way to describe al-Sharaa’s membership in al-Qaeda. Someone — Marco Rubio? — has to set Trump straight on al-Sharaa, so that al-Sharaa, in turn, when it comes to the treatment of the minorities, will do the right thing.

Comments

  1. I have mixed opinions on the Kurds these days. Yeah, they stopped ISIS, but within Iraq, they’re not as tolerant of Assyrians or Yazidis, and those who’ve made it to Europe are among the rape gangs. There was a time I was supportive of a Kurdistan, but not any more. Yeah, I hate the regimes in Turkey, Syria and Iraq, but the enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend. Also, if Reza Pahlavi returns to Iran, I support its territorial integrity, and don’t wanna see it torn apart

    Also, as long as this administration believes in the fictitious notion of Turkey being an ally, Kurds should know that we’re not their’s

    • If he returns, the Iranians will kill him on the first day.
      With the Guard and the Ayatollah or without the Guard and the Ayatollah.
      One religious lunatic is enough.
      60% of Iranians are religious lunatics and anyone who harms them is good.
      Same as ISIS and Al Qaeda, which now runs Syria. Sometimes they shoot and slaughter each other even in the palace in Damascus.
      Before, this happened once every twenty years, when Maher al Assad was drunk.
      Now it’s every month, because they are a mafia and sometimes they fight in the middle of the corridor.
      Same as the Taliban.
      And then the Shah should lead the Iranian mob?
      For them be Haftar or Sisi.
      And the country into two or better three or four parts.

      • Spoken like a true ignoramus. 60% of Iranians are no longer even muslim, let alone “religious lunatics”, and of the 32% who are still shi’a, 12% of them are the “my-own-private-islam” shi’a, who might personally practice the 5 pillars but not be interested in jihad, while the other 20% supports the regime. You’re someone who thinks that everybody from Tripoli to Kandahar is the same, b’cos…..?

        There is a reason that none of Iran’s Arab neighbors want the islamic regime to fall. B’cos once it does, Iran will be lost to islam, probably forever

    • A Taliban chief cut up another Taliban chief in the middle of Kabul.
      Nothing happened.
      I wouldn’t be surprised if the Iranian Revolutionary Guard ate its own commander.
      How does Trump plan to explain before the election if Jolani eats Mazloum Abdi? These are simply not normal people.
      Some people are not meant to be in the normal world.Something really terrible and genocidal could happen and then the Democrats could use it for elections…
      Remember that Erdogan hates the Kurds and that Jolani is not a normal person.
      I think both Jolani and the Ayatollah are abnormal animals.

    • Will Mr. Pahlavi deal with the gang of monsters?
      That’s about 40 million religious fanatics and about 60 million normal people.
      ISIS and Al Qaeda are rampaging through Syria unhindered because the head waiter, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is no longer there.
      The fake tiger forces fled to Moscow like a pack of little cats.
      Maybe Wagner could defeat the Iranian psychopaths.
      And don’t talk to me Mr. Pahlavi.
      He is a gentleman, but to oppose the Ayatollah’s psychopaths you would need a head waiter Prigozhin or Ratko Mladic.
      But not a gentleman like Pahlavi. Maybe if he was a lord like Haftar or Saif al Islam.
      They wasted the main heroes Wagner commanders, and now Trump will remove the Kurds.
      Christianity and secularism will be destroyed and there will be no one to defend them from the crazy Islamists.

    • I agree, Infidel. The enemy of my enemy is not my friend. They gleefully looted, raped, and murdered along with the Turks during the Armenian/Assyrian/Greek genocide.

      • I agree, GE, and Infidel.
        No muzzles can be trusted. All anyone has to do is look at how they treat Americans, Aussies and Brits when they leave their home nations. It’s not anywhere near thankful just to be alive and allowed the freedom to pursue having a home, a job and support their families.

        The somalis and afghans have been *helped*….and look at how they have treated the *helpers.*

        If the kurds are muzzie, they are still muzzie.

        The friend of my friend might be mine. But the enemy of my enemy….might be akin to choosing between a gator and giant python. The birds and other animals in the Everglades would like to be free of both groups of predators.

  2. Trump is now also stating that the UK giving away the Chagos Islands is stupid.

    It is, but most were expecting him to put a stop to this a year ago when he came to power.

    It was the senile Biden and his administration who gave the traitor Starmer the go ahead for the give away

    Of course the UK giving billions away for the privilege as well for some mad reason.

    A year ago, Trump simply gloated about all this and he was happy with it especially as it’s not costing the US a penny.

    Only concerned that the US air base was safe, completely ignoring the fact that hostile powers will now gain more strength in that part of the world

    He’s been talking complete insanity in connection to Greenland.

    Justifying that by stating other powers need to be kept out of there.

    Which is true, but there are much better ways of going about it.

    But a year ago Trump was happy to see the Chagos go, did nothing to correct Biden and Starmer.

    Now thinks the give away is stupid.

    He needs to take his head out of his arse.

    • It’s not about Biden or Trump, it’s about the Kurds being the main opponent of the Iranian regime. And there are enough honest good Republicans that you can demand that they remove the man bribed with the Qatari plane.

      How do you think the Kurds will continue to support Israel in its fight against Iran if the US betrays them so shamelessly.

      And this for the Qatari plane and Saudi money.

      • Kurds are not the main opponents of the islamic regime. All the Iranian people are – Farsis, Kurds, Azeris, Arabs and Balochis. When Mahsa Amini – a Kurdish girl was murdered 3 years ago, all of Iran rose in protest. They didn’t brush her away b’cos she was not Farsi, nor Azeri, nor Balochi

        I have issues w/ Trump’s attitude towards Qatar and Turkey, but the Kurds are by no means the panacea that we’re looking for. As I noted above, they are still muslim, and in their own turf, persecute Assyrians, Armenians and Yazidis

    • like you EI I have been very disappointed lately with Trump’s behaviour, he is on his high horse and believes himself to be in direct communication with God , this is Trump. There is no doubt that he loves himself so much that he is undoubtedly a megalomaniac. Without doubt he has made many mistakes, but on the other hand Iran would now be in possession of a nuclear bomb if it wasn’t for Trump, and the world would be in serious trouble. We have a lot to thank Trump for, but like us all he also makes mistakes.

  3. As long as President Trump and our Western Leaders fail to identify and declare Islam and its believers to be Criminal-Terrorist-Gang Enterprises under Western Laws and Constitutions, Islam’s Muslims will find ways to continue the Islamization of the West. Islam funds, teaches, and promotes discrimination, segregation, violence, and terrorism against all Non-Muslims as taught in Islam’s Qur’an(Qur’an 9:5, 29, 111; 49:15; 98:6-7, etc.).

    Allah’s Islam, a CRIMINAL-TERRORIST-GANG ENTERPRISE and a MURDEROUS-DEMONIC CULT OF BELIEVERS, Terrorist Muslim Soldiers for satanic Allah, continually fund, promote, and practice ideological subversion, propaganda, bigotry, discrimination, deceit, industrial-scale slavery, human trafficking, intimidation, supremacy, segregation, hatred, incitement to violence, criminality, genocide, victimhood, censorship, and terrorism as taught in Islamic Law, Sharia, and in Islam’s Qur’an(Qur’an 5:14,35; 8:60; 9:41, 88, etc.). Islam and its Muslims, enemies of Non-Muslims, are a Muslim Terrorist Organization(MTO).

    Allah describes Muslim women in Jenna, Allah’s Paradise, as whores of Allah in Qur’an 56:37. Also, Deceitful Allah stirs hatred against Christians until the resurrection day when Qur’an 5:14 instructs, “And some of those who say, ‘Surely we are Nasara (Christians),’ we took their covenant. So they have forgotten a part of what they were reminded of, so we have stirred up ENMITY and HATRED among them until the resurrection day. And Allah will inform them of what they were doing.” See also Qur’an 2:225; 60:4; 8:55.

    As taught by Allah, Muslims are supremacist terrorists for Allah with their MONEY and with their LIVES while undermining a society from within using the man-made book of lies and deceit, the Qur’an. Allah in Qur’an 49:15 states, “Surely the believers[Muslims] are only those who believed in Allah and his messenger. They do not doubt, and they performed jihad with their MONEY and their LIVES for the sake of Allah. Those are the truthful.” As evidenced by continuous Muslim attacks, Allah in Qur’an 4:101 says, “…Surely the infidels(Non-Muslims) were your clear enemies.”

    ALLAH’S MUSLIMS are a greater TERROR than diabolical Allah. Allah in Qur’an 59:13 says, “You[Muslims] are a greater terror in their chests than Allah. This is because they[Jews & Christians] are people who do not understand.” Islam must be banned as illegal, and we have the legal right to defend ourselves from Muslim violence. As a result, Non-Muslims are marked for death by Islam and its Muslims. Allah in Qur’an 9:29 commands, “Engage in war with those who do not believe in Allah nor in the last day. Nor forbid what Allah and his messenger forbid, nor believe in the religion of the truth among those who have given the book until they pay the jizyah out of hand and they are subdued.”

    Again, Islam is a civilization-destroying, totalitarian, and supremacist system of lies and deceit because Allah, the best deceiver, is the actual source of Muslim deceit as taught in Islam’s Qur’an. Muslims under Islam’s system of deceit are more easily controlled because there is no foundation for truth in Islam. Allah in Qur’an 3:54 says, “And they deceived, and Allah deceived. And Allah is the best deceiver.” Allah in Qur’an 8:30 says, “…And Allah is the best deceiver.” Allah in Qur’an 13:42 says, “And indeed, those before them deceived, so to Allah all the deception…”

    • The Kurds need protection and probably don’t deserve genocide just because Trump took a Qatari plane and Saudi money. It’s not about Allah or God, it’s about the Kurds being the main opponent of the Iranian regime.

  4. Trump can lie for a while.
    But whoever tells the United Nations during the election that HTS committed genocide against the Kurds will have single-digit support.

  5. The US has a long history, going back to Henry Kissinger, of screwing the Kurds. What goes on behind the scenes does not ever seem to me to be a justification to repeatedl6 leave the Kurds high and dry, each time that we promise to help them.

  6. The Kurds have stood with the West as well as the Druze. While Trump was praising them today, Syrian jihadists released ISIS prisoners from the camps in Kurdish territory and people are being beheaded and running for their lives.
    Trump praised Al Shara again while his jihadist army was committing atrocities.

  8. Ally is not the same as Friend.

    Just because someone helps you defeat a common enemy does not mean that once that fight is over, they are your friend and you should support them.

    The U.S. joined with Stalin to defeat Hitler. That didn’t make Stalin any less an enemy of the U.S. once Hitler was defeated.

    The Kurds are fighting for their own reasons. If the U.S. joins the fight, for its own reasons, the Kurds should count their blessings. But that is where the relationship ends.

    The U.S. cannot be friends with any Islamic nation.

    Islam and the U.S. Constitution are as diametrically opposed to one another, as Communism and Capitalism are.

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