Preferred language vs preferred country

I just applied for a fellowship studying Kurdish in Iraqi Kurdistan.

I was a little confused about their preferred languages and their preferred countries list. Mostly because Kurdish was on the list if preferred languages, however most countries where kurdish is spoken (Iraq, Iran, Syrian) were not on the list as preferred countries. Turkey was on the list, but with an asterisk noting that applications for this country are unlikely to be selected for 2023 and applicants should select a back up option. There is no viable back up option for Kurdish, except one of the 3 countries listed above. I just dont understand how they could list Kurdish as a preferred language, but none of the countries where it is spoken is listed as a preferred country.