In Iraq, the Kurdish region won de facto self-rule in 1991, when the United States imposed a no-fly zone over it in response to Saddam’s brutal repression of Kurdish uprisings.

Source: https://sentinelcolorado.com/news/nation-world/world/kurds-remain-biggest-winners-from-us-led-invasion-of-iraq/

The area has been a flashpoint for years, as ethnic Kurds have sought to incorporate the oil-rich province of Kirkuk and other territories into the Kurdish region, a proposition strongly resisted by the Iraqi government.

Source: https://themedialine.org/headlines/iraqi-soldiers-dead-in-skirmish-over-disputed-northern-posts/