IRBIL, Iraq: Iraq鈥檚 prime minister on Tuesday ordered the northern Kurdish region to hand over control of its airports to federal authorities or face a flight ban, signaling a tough response to a landmark Kurdish independence referendum held the day before.
The Iraqi Kurdish leadership billed Monday鈥檚 vote as an exercise in self-determination, but the Iraqi government is strongly opposed to any redrawing of its borders, and Turkey and Iran fear the move will embolden their own Kurdish populations.
Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi鈥檚 ultimatum came the day after the vote and ahead of the release of official results. He said the ban would exclude humanitarian and other 鈥渦rgent鈥� flights.
Regional authorities in Iraq鈥檚 autonomous Kurdish north put the turnout at over 70 percent, but many voters reported irregularities, including cases of individuals voting multiple times and without proper registration.
Many expect a resounding 鈥測es鈥� vote when the official results are released, most likely on Wednesday, according to the Kurdish electoral commission.
For decades, Kurdish politics have hinged on dreams of an independent Kurdish state. When colonial powers drew the map of the Middle East after World War I, the Kurds, who now number around 30 million, were divided among Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq.
The vote has already ramped up regional tensions.
Iraqi troops began joint military exercises with Turkey along the border. Fearing the vote could be used to redraw Iraq鈥檚 borders, taking a sizeable part of the country鈥檚 oil wealth with it, Al-Abadi has called the referendum an act of 鈥渟edition鈥� that 鈥渆scalated the ethnic and sectarian tension鈥� across the country.
In Iran, thousands of Kurds poured into the streets in the cities of Baneh, Saghez and Sanandaj on Monday night. Footage shared online by Iranian Kurds showed demonstrators waving lit mobile phones in the air and chanting their support into the night. Some footage also showed Iranian police officers assembling nearby or watching the demonstrators.
Iranian state television on Tuesday acknowledged the rallies, a rarity in the Islamic Republic. Iran鈥檚 paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and its regular army have been running military exercises near the border with Iraq鈥檚 Kurdish region in a sign of Tehran鈥檚 displeasure at the Kurdish referendum.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated on Tuesday that his country is considering all options, ranging from military intervention to economic sanctions against Iraq鈥檚 Kurdish region.
Erdogan said, however, that he hopes the Iraqi Kurdish leadership will abandon aims of creating a separate state and not force Turkey into enforcing sanctions.
鈥淚 hope the northern Iraqi administration gathers itself together and abandons this adventure with a dark ending,鈥� Erdogan said, adding that the landlocked Iraqi Kurdish region would not be able to survive without Turkey鈥檚 support in helping export its oil.
鈥淭he moment we shut the valve it鈥檚 finished for them,鈥� Erdogan said, referring to a pipeline through Turkey. The Turkish leader said no country other than Israel supports the Iraqi Kurdish referendum on independence, which he described as 鈥渋nvalid鈥� and 鈥渇raudulent.鈥� He said attempts by Kurds to form an independent state are doomed to fail.
The United States and United Nations both opposed the referendum, describing it as a unilateral and potentially destabilizing move that could detract from the war Iraqi and Kurdish forces are waging against the Daesh group.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the US wouldn鈥檛 alter its 鈥渉istoric relationship鈥� with Iraq鈥檚 Kurds, but the referendum would increase hardships for them. She said Daesh and other extremists are hoping to 鈥渆xploit instability and discord.鈥�
Statements from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed regret that the vote was held and said issues between Iraq鈥檚 federal government and Kurdish region should be resolved through dialogue.
Kurdish electoral commission spokesman Sherwan Zerar put the turnout at about 3.3 million of the eligible 4.5 million residents.
Iraq orders Kurdistan to give up control of airports or face flight ban
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