Time to help the Middle East’s forgotten heroes: the Kurds

A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter in Iraq in 2016. Picture: AFP

Islamic terrorists seem to have run out of puff.

Countries that once have supported them now turn them away.

Headlines about mass bombings and horrendous death tolls don’t appear these days.

Iraq, for example, may still be a basket case, but things are looking up with the war over and a recovery in its oil industry.

When no one is blowing up the pipelines it is not so remarkable to see the Iraqi economy show some signs of recovery.

If better times are on the way, the West may at least be able to right one of the great injustices of our times.

All the way through the conflict in Iraq the Kurdish forces fought the bad guys with purpose and ferocity. The Peshmerga, as the Kurdish fighters are called, have earned the respect and admiration of the Europeans and the Americans.

The problem is the Kurds have always been recognised and praised for their prowess in war. Yet they have been dealt out every time the question of setting borders is raised.

Western powers are happy to arm Kurds and work closely with them but always walk away when it comes time to discuss a Kurdish homeland.

The Kurds are entitled to feel hard done by. Their loyalty has been met time and time again by treachery and double dealings. They have learned to be wary of Westerners bearing gifts.

With some Arab states now prepared to begin dialogue with Israel, small beacons of hope are emerging in a region where hope has been in very short supply.

I am an optimist on the future of the Middle East in general.

The one caveat on that view is the rogue state of Iran, where the mad mullahs reign supreme and threaten peace and stability on an almost daily basis.