'We'll defend our homeland', Kurd leader vows

The most senior leader in Iraq’s Kurdish region appeared to raise the stakes in the stand-off over northern Iraq, warning Turkey that the region would defend itself against any cross-border military strike on rebel bases.

The tough line taken by the Kurdish region’s president, Massoud Barzani, further stoked worries that a Turkish incursion could ignite a wider cycle of conflict and unrest in one of the few stable corners of Iraq.