The Kurds are the main obstacle to the Islamists declaring a de facto state of their own in the northeast of Syria – an area which Syrian President Bashar Assad has little control over.
Barzani’s comments are further proof of how Syria’s two-year conflict is spilling over into neighboring countries.
The northern Iraqi region of Kurdistan – which already has its own government and armed forces – has also begun to pursue independent energy and foreign policies, which has infuriated the Shi’ite government of Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad. Northern Iraq is the only area of the country which has seen peace and a semblance of stability since American troops left in 2011.
More at EndtheLie.com – http://EndtheLie.com/2013/08/10/president-of-iraqi-kurdistan-ready-to-defend-kurds-in-syria/#ixzz2brEGkgpi