Secretary Gates spent his final hours in Iraqi Kurdistan, meeting with the President of the semi-autonomous region, Massoud Barzani.

VOA: standard.2009.07.29

The group, although riven by internal disputes, is sponsored by the Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani.

CNN: Kurds' ambitions add explosive element to Syria equation

Massoud Barzani - maybe, you know, a few hundred Turkish troops went in, not a few hundred thousand.

NPR: After Turkish Airstrikes, Rice Visits Kirkuk

And now this is a big issue, because the Kurdish President Massoud Barzani suddenly banned the Iraqi flag in the Kurdish region.

NPR: Flag Symbolizes Divisive Issue of Kurdish Autonomy