This long-held ambition could take one step closer to becoming reality Monday when Iraqi Kurds are scheduled to vote in a historic independence referendum. The Kurds see a commonality between their own struggles and those that unfolded during the American War for Independence. It has publicly called for the vote not to move forward, citing current regional conditions and the potential for the vote to ignite a new crisis. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reportedly called Kurdish President Masoud Barzani on August 20 to request postponement, stating that destruction of ISIS must remain the top priority, and that any deviation at this time would hurt the effort. Both are opposed to Kurdish independence, and Baghdad has said the referendum is unconstitutional. The Kurdish fighters have been the dominant force in the fight against ISIS. Kurds are relatively autonomous in Iraq — as Jane has reported, they "control the land borders with neighboring countries, elect their own parliament, maintain their own security forces (known as the peshmerga) and draft their own laws." The explosion happened in Daquq, a region bordering Islamic State-held areas, the sources said. The U.S. embassy in Iraq cautioned its citizens that there may be unrest during a referendum, especially in territories disputed between the KRG and the central government like the multi-ethnic oil-rich region of Kirkuk. The United States, despite the regional pressure not to, must support the Kurds’ bid for independence as it would be morally and ethically wrong for America to turn its backs on these people at this point. DUBAI/ISTANBUL: Iranian forces have launched war games in an area near the border with Iraq's Kurdistan region, Iran's state media reported on Sunday, a day before a Kurdish independence referendum in the region.
Iranian forces launch a military exercise near the border of Iraqi Kurdistan, hours before a Kurdish vote on independence from Iraq. Turkey is also conducting a military exercise in the region.