Iraqi and Kurdish troops continue border clashes

Iraqi forces on Friday said they seized control of a town from Kurdish fighters. The victory comes after a week of fighting between Iraqi troops and Kurdish forces over disputed regions in the country. Iraq’s state Al-Iraqiyah television said the federal police, anti-terrorism forces, and the Popular Mobilization Front militias secured the town of Altun Kupri and its surrounding areas. The Kurdish military command disputed the claim, saying instead its forces had fought off the advance. Iraqi Gen. Raad Baddai on Thursday warned he will advance into the town, located just outside the autonomous Kurdish region. Iraq’s artillery forces shelled the Kurdish troops, and they responded with rocket fire. Iraqi and Kurdish officials have long disputed the boundaries of the country’s Kurdish region. Renewed clashes this week saw the Kurdish troops withdraw from the oil-rich town of Kirkuk, Iraq, for the first time since 2014. The fighting comes after the Kurdish region last month held a nonbinding referendum seeking independence from Iraq.