Iraqi Kurdish leader says region will defend itself

[News Manager]

ARBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani said on Saturday the region was fully prepared to defend itself, after a skirmish between Iraqi forces and Kurdish troops along their disputed internal border. Tensions have been building between the autonomous Kurdish region and the central government in Baghdad since the departure of U.S. forces from Iraq in December, which removed a buffer between the two sides. ...

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