Fight for Mosul redraws Iraq’s ethnic map

The new de facto borders established by the Kurdish fighters, known as peshmerga, raise the potential for conflict between Iraq’s Kurds and Arabs after any eventual defeat of the militants — just as in neighboring Syria, where Kurds have also dramatically expanded their zone of control.

Largely with the help of U.S.-led coalition air strikes, Kurdish forces have taken territory equivalent to around 50 percent of the size of their recognized autonomous zone.



[...] they have taken further territory in the nearby Ninevah province, where Mosul is located, ahead of an expected assault on the city.