Question

mideast history
the kurds are an ethnic group of around 30 - 32 million members who live in a region that extends across eastern and southeastern turkey, western iran, northern iraq, and northern syria. they share a common ancestry, culture, and language (kurdish). most are sunni muslim, although many iranian kurds are shia muslim. small numbers also follow yezidism and yarsanism, which are indigenous (native) religions. the kurdish people are stateless (lacking a country of their own) and many want to break away from the countries that they are living in to form an independent nation called kurdistan.
numerous conflicts have arisen in the middle east in modern times which involve a interests. these include:

• in 1990, saddam hussein of iraq invaded neighboring kuwait, a u.s.-ally in the region, threatening the world’s oil supply. the un authorized military intervention (involvement) and the u.s. launched operation desert storm to force iraqi troops to withdraw. this was known as the first persian gulf war.
• after the u.s. was attacked on september 11th, 2001 by osama bin laden and his al - qaeda terrorist network, the u.s. invaded afghanistan. there it removed the taliban regime (ruling group) that had allowed the terrorists to operate freely within afghanistan’s borders. this marked the beginning of the u.s.-led “war on terror” in the region.
• fearing the iraqis were in possession of – and intending to use – weapons of mass destruction (wmds), the u.s. again invaded iraq in 2003. this time they ousted (removed from power) saddam hussein in what was later known as operation iraqi freedom.

Explanation:

The text covers historical events in the Middle - East such as the Kurdish situation, the First Persian Gulf War, the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11, and the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. It details key figures, countries involved, and the reasons for military interventions.

Answer:

The text provides an overview of modern - day conflicts in the Middle East involving various countries, leaders, and geopolitical interests. It includes information on ethnic groups (Kurds), military operations (Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom), and the impact of terrorist attacks (9/11) on U.S. foreign policy in the region.