Kurds Lobby For U.S. Presence

WASHINGTON -- The autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq has been lobbying for a
long-term U.S. presence.
Officials said the Kurdistan Regional Government has been sending
officials to the United States to lobby for a long-term American presence in
the autonomous region in northern Iraq. They said KRG has argued that the
removal of all U.S. forces from the region could result in an offensive by
either the Baghdad government or neighboring Turkey and Iran.