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IRBIL, Iraq — Each day, Kurdish security forces in northern Iraq skirmish with fearsomely armed Islamic State militants along their new, nearly 650-mile border. The Kurds have held their own so far. But without fresh arms supplies or financial assistance their fight is unsustainable, a senior Kurdish official said.
Masrour Barzani, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s intelligence and security chief, described his forces as “overstretched.” In an interview this week, he called on the United States to provide direct military assistance to his semiautonomous region, which he complained has been left to fight the extremists unaided.
For the Kurds, the Islamic State’s blitz across northern Iraq in recent weeks has in some respects been a boon. Iraqi military forces rapidly withdrew from the north, enabling the Kurds to seize areas where they had disputed control with Baghdad, including the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
But the expanded borders mean more land to protect from their new, unwelcome neighbors. That added burden comes as the Kurdish region’s relations with Baghdad are sharply deteriorating, with the central government withholding funds, banning cargo flights and making it difficult for the Kurds to replenish their arms.
“It’s a big responsibility, it’s a long border, many of our troops are there and we don’t know how long the situation will continue,” Barzani said. “We are really overstretched.”
Relations with Baghdad have soured as the Kurds have pushed toward independence and begun to sell crude oil independently of the national government.
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Masrour Barzani, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s intelligence and security chief, described his forces as “overstretched.” In an interview this week, he called on the United States to provide direct military assistance to his semiautonomous region, which he complained has been left to fight the extremists unaided.
For the Kurds, the Islamic State’s blitz across northern Iraq in recent weeks has in some respects been a boon. Iraqi military forces rapidly withdrew from the north, enabling the Kurds to seize areas where they had disputed control with Baghdad, including the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
But the expanded borders mean more land to protect from their new, unwelcome neighbors. That added burden comes as the Kurdish region’s relations with Baghdad are sharply deteriorating, with the central government withholding funds, banning cargo flights and making it difficult for the Kurds to replenish their arms.
“It’s a big responsibility, it’s a long border, many of our troops are there and we don’t know how long the situation will continue,” Barzani said. “We are really overstretched.”
Relations with Baghdad have soured as the Kurds have pushed toward independence and begun to sell crude oil independently of the national government.
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