Kurdish forces deployed in northern Iraq

The Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq deploys Peshmerga soldiers to block Iraqi government troops from reaching a border point with Syria.

Last week, soldiers from an Iraqi army brigade were moved to a Kurdish-controlled border crossing point in order to monitor the increasing violence over the border in Syria.

So far the Kurdish forces have denied them access.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki condemned the move saying the troops were deployed to prevent the violence in Syria from spilling over into Iraq. He stressed it wasn't about targeting the Kurdistan region.

Since the last U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq in December, disputed areas between autonomous Kurdistan and Baghdad have been seen as a potential flashpoint for conflict.

Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.