Intrepid Times | They Told Me Not To Go: Iraqi Kurdistan

On a visit to a region plagued by war, a former military officer seeks out a different side to Iraqi Kurdistan that dispels the stereotypes common across America, finding a place paved with peace, from Christian monasteries to pristine waterfalls.

Warzones were not places to take a vacation. At least, that was the conventional wisdom. But I wasn’t on vacation. I was travelling. A semantic difference to everyone back home, but a crucial distinction for those of us who lived on the road. That distinction didn’t dissuade the concerned voices. Rightly so. The Department of State was actively warning against travel to several countries after the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. Protests, anti-Zionist sentiment, and political tinderboxes all served as warnings to stay far away as an American. None of that mattered to me. I had been looking forward to travelling to the Middle East for over a year, and no regional war was going to stop me this time...

Continue reading here: https://intrepidtimes.com/2025/11/they-told-me-not-to-go-iraqi-kurdistan/