Iraqi leaders in the central government and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region appear to be stepping back from the brink of open warfare.

They agreed Monday to withdraw the thousands of troops deployed in the past week to Iraq's disputed territories, following a fatal Nov. 16 shootout between the two sides. The deal appears to be holding despite deadly bombings Tuesday in Kirkuk and Baghdad that may have been designed to provoke conflict.
http://www.iraqoilreport.com/securit...s-easing-9380/

RAS AL AYN, Syria -- A tense truce between Syrian rebels and a Kurdish militia held Tuesday in the city of Ras al Ayn, fast against the border with Turkey. But neither side hid its disdain for the other, and both continued to hold prisoners in a standoff that suggests rebel hopes to push their control further east faces an all but certain challenge.
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