New front line emerging in northern Iraq

A 1,000km trench across Iraq, which the Kurds say is designed to repel suicide bomb attacks by so-called Islamic State militants, is raising fears in Baghdad that the country is moving closer to break-up

Kurdish forces

monitoring

trenches

south of

Kirkuk

Area of semi-autonomous

Kurdistan regional government

Controlled by so-called Islamic

State (Daesh) as of Jan 18

Detail

area

100km

TURKEY

Baghdad

60 miles

IRAQ

Dohuk

300km

Rabiaa

200 miles

Sinjar

IRAN

Mosul

Irbil

NINAWA

SYRIA

Kirkuk

River Tigris

Sulaymaniyah

AL

TAMIM

IRAQ

SALAH

AD DIN

AL ANBAR

Tikrit

Khanaqin

River

Euphrates

DIYALA

Route passes through areas

Approximate line of Kurdish-built trench:

claimed by Arabs and Kurds, creating tensions between ethnic communities

Sources: BBC, Thomas van Linge

Picture: Getty Images

© GRAPHIC NEWS

New front line emerging in northern Iraq

A 1,000km trench across Iraq, which the Kurds say is designed to repel suicide bomb attacks by so-called Islamic State militants, is raising fears in Baghdad that the country is moving closer to break-up

Kurdish forces monitoring trenches

south of Kirkuk

Area of semi-autonomous

Kurdistan regional government

Detail

area

Controlled by so-called Islamic

State (Daesh) as of Jan 18

Baghdad

IRAQ

100km

TURKEY

300km

60 miles

200 miles

Dohuk

Rabiaa

Sinjar

Irbil

Mosul

NINAWA

SYRIA

Kirkuk

River Tigris

AL

TAMIM

IRAQ

SALAH

AD DIN

AL ANBAR

Tikrit

Khanaqin

River

Euphrates

DIYALA

IRAN

Approximate line of Kurdish-built trench

Route passes through areas claimed by Arabs and

Kurds, creating tensions between ethnic communities

Sources: BBC,

Thomas van Linge

Picture: Getty Images

© GRAPHIC NEWS

New front line emerging in northern Iraq

A 1,000km trench across Iraq, which the Kurds say is designed to repel suicide bomb attacks by so-called Islamic State militants, is raising fears in Baghdad that the country is moving closer to break-up

Area of

Kurdistan

regional

government

Detail

area

Controlled

by so-called

Islamic State

(Daesh)

as of Jan 18

Baghdad

IRAQ

300km

200 miles

TURKEY

100km

Rabiaa

60 miles

Irbil

Mosul

Kirkuk

Sinjar

IRAQ

Tikrit

Khanaqin

IRAN

Approximate line of trench

Route bisects areas claimed by

Arabs and Kurds, creating tensions

between ethnic communities

Picture: Getty Images

Sources: BBC,

Thomas van Linge

© GRAPHIC NEWS