The Different Kurdish Political Groups
KDP (Kurdish Democratic Party) –
The oldest Kurdish-Iraqi political party
PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) –
A rival Kurdish-Iraqi political party
KRG (Kurdish Regional Government) –
A Kurdish governed area in Iraq following the US toppling of Saddam Hussein
Peshmerga –
The military wing of the KRG. Their name means “those who face death”
PYD (Democratic Union Party) –
The dominant Kurdish-Syrian political party
PKK (The Kurdish Workers’ Party) –
The Kurdish-Turkey political group formed by Abdullah Ocalan in 1978
YPG (People’s Protection Units) – Armed wing of the PYD
SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) –
A military forced led largely by the PYD