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

100km 60 miles

TURKEY

Rabiaa

Sinjar

SYRIA

AL ANBAR

River Euphrates

Dohuk

Mosul

NINAWA

River Tigris

IRAQ

SALAH AD DIN

Tikrit

Irbil

Kirkuk

AL TAMIM

DIYALA

Sulaymaniyah

Khanaqin

IRAN

300km 200 miles

Detail area

Baghdad

IRAQ

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