Independence vote puts Iraqi Kurds at odds with neighbors and allies
IRBIL, Iraq - For the jubilant, flag-waiving throngs who filled rallies across Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish enclave in recent weeks, a vote on independence Monday is a chance to realize a dream cherished for generations.
But every major player in the region opposes the referendum, placing the Kurds on a collision course with neighbors and allies, including the United States, which warns that it could ignite conflict with the central government in Baghdad and unleash ethnic fighting in a part of the world still roiled by the battle against Islamic State.
Kurdish forces played a pivotal role in the campaign to reclaim Mosul, the largest city to fall to the extremist group. But U.S. officials say the conflict over Monday's referendum
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