Huffingtonpost.com | by David L. Phillips (*)

Kobani represents a crossroads in the war against the Islamic State (IS). The battle for Kobani is also a defining moment in US policy toward the Kurds, the construction of Kurdish national identity, and the West's view of Turkey as an ally.

By Michael Georgy and Isabel Coles

(Reuters) - The government of Iraq and the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan have reached a deal to ease tensions over Kurdish oil exports and civil service payments from Baghdad, Iraq's finance minister told Reuters on Thursday.

By BEN HUBBARD

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s central government and the autonomous region of Kurdistan reached an interim agreement on Thursday over oil exports and budget payments, at least temporarily easing a bitter dispute that has threatened the government’s stability.

Pbs.org |  by Jason M. Breslow

As the Islamic State continues its march through Syria and Iraq, the jihadist group is quietly utilizing a network of former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party to help militarize a fighting force that has effectively erased the border between both nations and left roughly 6 million people under its rule.

Foreignpolicy.com | by Justine Drennan

As the Obama administration has ramped up its campaign against the so-called Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, it has tried to present itself as acting with the support of a broad range of partner nations.

Nytimes.com | By BEN HUBBARD

BAGHDAD — The extremists of the Islamic State appeared unstoppable after their sudden blitz through Iraq this summer, with its battle-hardened fighters continually raising their black flag over newly conquered areas.

Wsj.com | BySam Dagher

Prime Minister Says Region Needs More Weapons From West and More Money From Baghdad

ERBIL, Iraq—The government of Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdistan region, a crucial front-line partner in the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, is confronting a shortage of weapons and growing economic disquiet among its citizens and foreign investors in the oil-rich area.

Reuters | By Gulsen Solaker

ANKARA (Reuters) - A Turkish politician was stabbed repeatedly in the capital Ankara on Tuesday, in an attack that his pro-Kurdish party blamed on a government-led 'lynch campaign' against it.

Nytimes.com | By MEYSA ABDO (Op-Ed Contributor)

Turkey's Obstruction of Kobani's Battle Against ISIS

KOBANI, Syria — Since Sept. 15, we, the people of the Syrian town of Kobani, have been fighting, outnumbered and outgunned, against an all-out assault by the army of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.