US, Iran woo rival Kurdish factions in battle against IS
While US airstrikes against the Islamic State have mostly benefited areas controlled by Kurdistan Democratic Party forces, Iran has reportedly provided materiel and advisers to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
KHANAQUIN, Iraq — The fight against the Islamic State (IS) in northern Diyala province is being conducted against a sand-hued backdrop with a few date trees, slow-moving rivers and rocky outcrops.
Farther north and to the west of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) capital, Erbil, the terrain is flat and featureless, where a few fields and clutches of trees break up the vast, mostly arid expanse around Makhmour.
Though the peshmerga forces manning the two fronts both answer to the KRG, they remain closely tied to the rival parties from which they sprung: the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in the north and west, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in the south and east.
There are signs that the two also receive support from different backers, influenced by longstanding ties and geographical proximity.
