1.   Relations deteriorated further in late March as hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Kurdish refugees headed for the Iranian border.

2.   The Iraqis later recovered the small Kurdish town of Haj Omran, captured by Iran some time before, and also the Iranian border town of Dehloran.

3.   And there have been clashes near the Iranian border, as both groups battle for control there.

4.   Carpet dealers are notorious for smuggling goods over Iranian borders to avoid rules requiring them to exchange most of the foreign currency they earn for Iranian rials.

5.   Correspondent Burns wrote from Herat, a city near the Iranian border that used to be an artistic and relatively sophisticated place.

6.   He made his most recent trip in December, when he visited the refugee camps near the Iranian border.

7.   His one time ally and rival Jalal Talabani, ensconced near the Iranian border, wanted a cut of the loot and a share of power.

8.   Imported goods are streaming in from the Iranian border.

9.   Many were living in the open for three days and seeking ways across the closed Pakistani and Iranian borders.

10.   Most are stationed on the southern front near the Iranian border.