The Kurds inhabit the mountainous area between Mesopotamia, Anatolia and the Iranian plateau and are divided between four countries: Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. It is difficult to determine the exact number of Kurds because there are no official statistics, and it is estimated that the number ranges between 35 and 45 million. Most Kurds belong to Sunni Muslims. Kurdish belongs to the Indo-European group of languages, and is divided into two Kurdish languages, Sorani and Kurmanji. Kurdish nationalist ideas emerged in the early 20th century. According to the agreement in Sevres, the formation of the state of Kurdistan on the territory of Turkey is envisaged, but that attempt to establish an independent state of Kurdistan was annulled by the agreement in Lausanne. Since the Kurdish language, customs and political parties have been banned, the Kurds are repressing the regimes in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. The first attempt at Kurdish autonomy was the Mahabad Republic in Iran, but it did not come to life due to a lack of Soviet support. Unlike Turkish and Iranian Kurds, Iraqi Kurds have achieved some degree of autonomy. After the overthrow of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraqi Kurds gain an autonomous region with a parliament. The position of the Syrian Kurds is changing with the civil war in Syria. The Syrian Kurds served as US military allies against the Islamic State. However, after the disintegration of the Islamic State, the Syrian Kurds were left without the main military support of the United States. Kurds today are divided between different tribal and political groups, so it is difficult to expect the creation of an independent Kurdistan.