Leaders from rival Kurdish groups look to mend ties during Syria upheaval

The leaders of two previously rival Kurdish groups have met in northern Iraq in an apparent step toward reconciliation at a time when the political upheaval in Syria has left Kurds in the region facing an uncertain future. The meeting between Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani and Syrian Democratic Forces commander Mazloum Abdi on Thursday came weeks after the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad government. The ouster came amid an intensified campaign by Turkey-backed armed groups against Kurdish forces in northeast Syria.