KURDS CLAIM VICTORY IN INDEPENDENCE VOTE

Iraq’s prime minister on Tuesday ordered the Kurdish region to hand over control of its airports to federal authorities or face a flight ban, as the Kurds claimed victory for the “yes” vote in an independence referendum rejected by Baghdad. The Iraqi Kurdish leadership billed Monday’s 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 alAbadi issued his ultimatum a day after the landmark vote, which he said was a “historic and strategic mistake by the Kurdish leadership.” Masoud Barzani, the Kurdish regional president who spearheaded the referendum, called for “dialogue” with Baghdad. Regional authorities put the turnout at over 70 per cent, but official results are expected Wednesday.

DELIL SOULEIMAN / AFP / GETTY IMAGES Syrian Kurds in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli celebrate on Tuesday, waving Kurdish flags in support of the independence referendum in Iraq’s autonomous northern Kurdish region.