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Iraqi Kurds accuse local Arabs of supporting IS

Iraqi Kurds say many local Arabs aided the Islamic State in their recent offensives against Kurdish forces.
An Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighter poses for a picture on the front line in Makhmur, about 280 kilometres (175 miles) north of the capital Baghdad, during clashes with Islamic State (IS) militants on August 9, 2014. Makhmur, is one of the areas that had been attacked by jihadist fighters in recent days. AFP PHOTO/SAFIN HAMED        (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images)
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GWER, Iraq — The ongoing conflict between the Islamic State (IS) and the Kurds in northern Iraq has fueled ethnic tensions between Iraqi Kurds and Arabs, with many Kurds accusing local Arabs of supporting IS.

Small anti-Arab protests were dispersed by police in the Kurdish capital of Erbil the afternoon of Aug. 9, and in the town of Gwer, just 30 kilometers (18 miles) outside the main checkpoint leading to Erbil. Kurds accused the local Arabs of supporting the Islamist militants.

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