The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has seized upon the chaos in the rest of Iraq to move closer toward independence from Baghdad.

KRG President Masoud Barzani all but announced a split from the center, saying in a US television interview that the time had come for the Kurds to determine their future. With Kurdish Peshmerga controlling parts of Kirkuk and cash flow coming in from independent oil sales, the KRG is closer to realizing its dream of independence than it was two weeks ago. (CONTINUED - 2393 WORDS)