--- title: "America doesn’t win alone: Supporting our wartime allies" date: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" authors: - name: "Jerritt Lynn, Director, Membership and Communications, IAVA" job_title: "Director, Membership and Communications, IAVA" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/jerritt-lynn.md" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/opinion/support-wartime-allies-kurds-of-iraq/" categories: - "Opinion" tags: - "Opinion" --- # America doesn’t win alone: Supporting our wartime allies ![support american allies kurdish peshmerga]() *Kurdish Peshmerge Fend Off ISIS in Iraq Kurdish Peshmerga forces look out at smoke rising from American air strikes in the village of Resala as they stand in overwatch positions near the Mosul Dam in Northern Iraq, August 18, 2014. (Lynsey Addario/Getty Images Reportage)* The views and opinion expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities mentioned. They die when we abandon them; we lose trust and the strategic advantage. We saw it in Vietnam; we witnessed it in Syria; we continue to see it in Afghanistan; and now we risk repeating the same tragedy with the Iraqi Kurds… again. If the moral implications of abandoning our allies and leaving them to their fate do not move you, then consider the dire consequences to America’s national security. Since our nation’s founding, the United States has cultivated a tradition of forging necessary and history-changing wartime alliances with foreign partners. The Continental Army and local militias fought bravely against the British and their allies during the determined years of the American Revolution. Although often under-resourced, undertrained, and under constant duress, the Americans did not win their independence alone. French support, in the form of thousands of sailors and soldiers, financial aid, and military hardware, helped tip the balance of the war. American independence was secured not through pure determination, but through strategic partnerships that strengthened our nation. The U.S. military has relied on local partners, such as armed forces, guerrilla fighters, and militias, to advance American security interests. This continues to ring true as U.S. forces operate in more than [170 partner countries and territories.]() As we bring to a close our celebration of America’s 250th anniversary of national independence, it’s necessary and appropriate to acknowledge one of our most steadfast partners in a region paramount to our national security: the Kurds of Iraq. We left a partner, potentially leaving them ill-prepared to secure their own people’s future or our interests in the region. Although we removed U.S. troops from Iraq (again) this September, I call on the U.S. to continue supporting our Kurdish partners, both financially and materially. They have earned it as a trusted partner, and American interests call for it in the region. ### The “Will They, Won’t They?” Relationship The relationship between the Kurds of Iraq and the U.S. military goes back to 1991. After expelling Saddam Hussein’s troops from Kuwait, safe zones and no-fly zones were established and enabled the emergence of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a semi-autonomous, democratically governed region within Iraq that is home to more than 5 million Kurds and various religious communities, including Christians and Yazidis. Decades later, in the wake of 9/11, the U.S. invaded Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime. It was the Kurds and their military, the Peshmerga ("those who face death"), who stood shoulder to shoulder with our troops, from initial invasion through the darkest days of the campaign. [They opened the northern front, provided thousands of fighters, shared critical knowledge of the terrain and local dynamics, and coordinated closely with U.S. Special Operations Forces](). Over the course of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), hundreds of Peshmerga were killed in action. Yet the Kurdish government remained stable and secure throughout the conflict, becoming a rest-and-relaxation (R&R) destination for U.S. troops. ![kurdish peshmerga defeats isis iraq]() *Kurdish Peshmerga forces celebrate and pose with a flag captured from the Islamic State at the Mosul dam the morning after Peshmerga and Iraqi Special forces defeated fighters with the Islamic State and reclaimed the dam in Northern Iraq, August 19, 2014. (Lynsey Addario/Getty Images)* In 2014, less than five years after the United States withdrew its forces from Iraq, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) swept across large swaths of the country, executing thousands of civilians and launching a genocidal campaign. The U.S. returned to combat operations in Iraq, this time to defend the fledgling democratic government it had helped bring to power. The Peshmerga fought alongside American forces, playing a decisive role in the campaign to defeat ISIS. More than [1,300 Peshmerga made the ultimate sacrifice in that fight](). By December 2017, ISIS no longer controlled any territory in Iraq, allowing the country's prime minister to declare victory: a victory made possible in no small part by Kurdish sacrifice. If morality and the word of the U.S. count for something, the people of the region have stood with us through the trials of war and the politics of peace, proving time and again that they are capable and loyal allies. If we care nothing for them as people, our own national security interests should make us pause before we recklessly abandon our overseas relationships. ### Credibility and Security at Risk The Middle East hosts military facilities that allow the U.S. to project power throughout the region, and its leaders have consistently aligned with American strategic objectives. In the current conflict between the U.S. and the Iranian regime, the Kurdistan Region paid a heavy price for its longstanding loyalty to America. More than [600 drone and missile attacks]() struck military and civilian facilities across the region, causing casualties and significant infrastructure damage. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan are others that have sustained physical damage, personnel losses, and increased pressure from their citizens regarding U.S. forces in their country and the cost of “doing business.” ![kurdish peshmerga mourning casualties in iran war]() *Members of the Iranian Kurdish opposition gather during the funeral of a Peshmerga fighter in the ranks of the Iranian Kurdish opposition in the autonomous Kurdistan region on April 16, 2026. A drone struck an Iranian Kurdish group on April 14. (Shwan Mohammed/AFP via Getty Images)* Our 5th Fleet Headquarters are in shambles, degrading capabilities at a strategic level. [Bases and military aircraft have been lost or damaged, totaling 81 aircraft, costing approximately $3.3 billion](). We can’t afford to lose partners while we continue to lose geographic and material advantage. The leaders and citizens in every one of the 170 countries and territories where U.S. forces currently operate are watching how this plays out, and they need to see resolve, not retreat. At a time when the people of the region face the ongoing threat of missile and drone attacks, it is critical, for both their security and ours, that America has their back. Every day, these states must recalculate the strategic advantages and disadvantages of whom they align with. Our actions signal whether we, as a nation, are a viable, trustworthy partner, or whether strategic value lies with other emerging leaders, such as China. The United States has removed funding mechanisms for the Kurdish military beginning in 2027, and the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Defense and the Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs expired in September 2026. Both reduce the Kurdish government's capacity for governance and security, thereby undermining our partner’s ability to act as a security partner on the United States' behalf. Supporting the Kurdistan Region is not charity; it is an investment in American interests. Born with the help of allies, it is fitting to remember that America still depends on trusted partners to advance our interests abroad. In the Middle East, few have proven more dependable than Iraq's Kurds. We must not forget them again, lest their experience become a cautionary tale for others considering partnership with the United States. **Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty** **• [The ongoing DHS shutdown is a slap in the face to those who protect America]()** **• [It’s time for the VA to recognize spouse proxy for catastrophic veteran illnesses]()** **• [Military promotions should not be political leverage]()** If you would like to submit an opinion for publication, it must be exclusive to We Are The Mighty. It should be a strong argument about an issue affecting the military, veterans, or the greater military-connected community, and between 400 and 1,000 jargon-free words. Send submissions to [info@wearethemighty.com](). Please include an email address and phone number. We will protect the identities of current military members who wish to publish an opinion. ## Author Jerritt Lynn is the Director of Membership and Communications for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).