Uneasy Standoff in Iraq Between Kurds and ISIS

MOSUL, Iraq — A standoff is setting in along a 600-mile stretch of territory between the Kurdistan region of Iraq and the swath of land controlled by the Sunni militants who are sweeping parts of the country.

The stare-down is so tense that in some places only a few hundred yards separate the Kurds and the Sunni militants, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham.

NBC News made it to the last checkpoint under Kurdish control on the outskirts of Mosul, the northern Iraqi city seized by ISIS insurgents earlier this month.

• Add to Google

Shortages Ravage the Road to Ebril

00:41

Just 300 yards away, fighters belonging to ISIS have overtaken commercial buildings and are using them as overlooks and sniper positions, according to the Kurdish officer who commands the checkpoint.

While the checkpoint is relatively calm, Kurdish forces say ISIS has occasionally fired at it. For now, Kurdish positions along this stretch of territory have been reinforced with the mobilization of 40,000 peshmerga, the Kurdish paramilitary force.

A week after Mosul fell into the hands of ISIS fighters and local sympathizers, several people leaving the city through the Kokjali checkpoint told NBC News that life was returning to normal.

ISIS fighters were keeping a low profile in the city, with only a single checkpoint on the road leading out of Mosul into Erbil.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCentrist think tank warns 2028 Democrats against swinging too far left on immigration

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussia’s secrecy after a mysterious plague lab death raises global alarm

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAfter surviving a botched lethal injection, Christa Pike faces unprecedented legal battle

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHunger in a land of plenty: Major food banks face ‘heartbreaking’ need, NBC News survey finds

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInflation and tariffs push U.S. holiday spending projections to a record $1.7 trillion

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat happened inside the room where officials tried to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow we reported the saga of the CIA officer and his gold-bar stash

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBrad Raffensperger gears up to oversee his final election in Georgia

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDiddy is punished following NBC News report on his VIP life in prison and contraband cellphone use

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Too young to vote, old enough to be tear gassed’: French protesters’ anger swells

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ gets aggressive in suing states that challenge Trump’s immigration policies

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJustice Department seeks criminal charge for former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I just want to hold him’: USS Lincoln sailor to meet his 10-month-old son as ship docks

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenate candidates run on raising Social Security taxes for higher incomes to prevent benefit cuts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussian operation that used ChatGPT tricked schools, a politician and media, OpenAI says

Slide 1 of 1

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCentrist think tank warns 2028 Democrats against swinging too far left on immigration

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussia’s secrecy after a mysterious plague lab death raises global alarm

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAfter surviving a botched lethal injection, Christa Pike faces unprecedented legal battle

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHunger in a land of plenty: Major food banks face ‘heartbreaking’ need, NBC News survey finds

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInflation and tariffs push U.S. holiday spending projections to a record $1.7 trillion

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat happened inside the room where officials tried to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow we reported the saga of the CIA officer and his gold-bar stash

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBrad Raffensperger gears up to oversee his final election in Georgia

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDiddy is punished following NBC News report on his VIP life in prison and contraband cellphone use

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Too young to vote, old enough to be tear gassed’: French protesters’ anger swells

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ gets aggressive in suing states that challenge Trump’s immigration policies

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJustice Department seeks criminal charge for former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I just want to hold him’: USS Lincoln sailor to meet his 10-month-old son as ship docks

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenate candidates run on raising Social Security taxes for higher incomes to prevent benefit cuts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussian operation that used ChatGPT tricked schools, a politician and media, OpenAI says

Slide 1 of 1

One passenger, a local goods trader who was leaving Mosul and heading toward Erbil, described a normal city. He was allowed to enter his warehouse and load his products before heading to Erbil to sell them.

Another family, also on their way out of Mosul, said they were very comfortable under ISIS rule and were not afraid for their safety.

Yet despite the presence of ISIS fighters at the crossing, traffic was flowing smoothly — although most cars heading from Mosul were being searched and passengers were being questioned.

Along the road, nearby residents were setting up small jerry-cans of gasoline to sell on the black market to cars coming out of Mosul. There is a fuel crisis across the country, and lines at gas stations are sometimes six hours long.

The Kurdistan regional government has been rationing fuel to meet demand, but that has also created a black market. People complained of power cuts and no running water across the communities along the road connecting Mosul and Erbil.