A fragile partnership in Iraq tries to prevent IS revival

By SAMYA KULLAB
Associated Press

LHEIBAN, Iraq (AP) — Iraq’s central government and the Kurdish autonomy zone have formed a fragile security partnership to prevent a resurgence by the Islamic State group, despite a long-standing territorial dispute between them. For years, that dispute has left a long buffer zone between the two sides where neither force keeps security. That has allowed IS militants to take refuge and carry out attacks. Now Baghdad and the Kurds are trying to fill those security gaps with joint operations, but with mistrust between them high, they say they need a U.S. presence to keep the arrangement from falling apart.