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Kurdish flag controversy continues, in Turkish court

KRG President Massoud Barzani's most recent visit to Turkey left the public at odds over the hoisting of the KRG flag.
Iraqi Kurdistan region's President Massoud Barzani attends a news conference with Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in Erbil, Iraq, March 17, 2016.  REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RTSAWLE
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DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — The site of the Kurdish flag prominently waving over a Turkish airport recently evoked much the same reaction as a matador's cape taunting a bull.

On Feb. 26, Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and his entourage arrived at Istanbul Ataturk Airport. Barzani has visited Turkey numerous times since the inception of the KRG, Iraq's only autonomous region. Some people have welcomed him, some have not, but there has not been a sustained, bitter debate until now.

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