Iraq's Kurds to vote on referendum of independence for autonomous region

Iraqi Kurds will today vote on a referendum of independence for their autonomous northern region, despite warnings within the country and from its neighbours Iran and Turkey.

The federal government in Baghdad has called the referendum unconstitutional. Iran and Turkey have sizeable Kurdish populations of their own and fear the vote will stoke separatist aspirations at home.

Ahead of the referendum, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Yesterday began a military exercise in the northwestern Kurdish region near the Iraqi border. Iran also blocked all flights to and from Iraq's Kurdistan at the request of Baghdad.

Meanwile, The UN Security Council has warned of the potentially destabilising impact the referendum on independence for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.The 15 member



states said today's non-binding vote could also hinder efforts to counter Islamic State (IS). The Security Council called for "dialogue and compromise" between the Kurdistan government and the central government in Baghdad.

There are concerns the vote could lead to unrest. Washington and many Western countries have also called for its postponement or cancellation. 

In regional capital Arbil, the political heartland of President Massud Barzani who initiated the referendum, Kurdish flags are flying everywhere. Most people in the city said they will vote, but some also said they fear the possible consequences. 

Kurds are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, but they have never obtained a permanent nation state.