A female member of a Kurdish Peshmerga battalion holds a Kurdish flag as she waits to cast her vote in the Kurdish independence referendum at a polling station in Arbil on September 25, 2017.
Iraqi Kurds voted in an independence referendum in defiance of Baghdad which has warned of "measures" to defend Iraq's unity and threatened to deprive their region of lifeline oil revenues. (AFP)

A woman casts her vote during Kurds independence referendum in Kirkuk, Iraq September 25, 2017. (Reuters)

A man is seen outside a polling station to cast his vote during Kurds independence referendum in Erbil, Iraq September 25, 2017 (Reuters)

A woman casts her vote at a polling station during Kurds independence referendum in Kirkuk, Iraq September 25, 2017. (Reuters)

Kurds celebrate during their independence referendum in Kirkuk, Iraq September 25, 2017 (Reuters)

Kurdish women show their ink-stained fingers during Kurds independence referendum in Kirkuk, Iraq September 25, 2017 (Reuters)

Kurds celebrate during their independence referendum in Kirkuk, Iraq September 25, 2017. (Reuters)

Kurds celebrate during their independence referendum in Kirkuk, Iraq September 25, 2017 (Reuters)

Kurds celebrate during their independence referendum in Kirkuk, Iraq September 25, 2017 (Reuters)

A displaced woman from the Yazidi minority casts her vote during Kurds independence referendum at a refugee camp on the outskert of Duhok, Iraq September 25, 2017 (Reuters)

An Iraqi Christian man casts his vote in the Kurdish independence referendum in Arbil, on September 25, 2017.
Iraqi Kurds voted in an independence referendum, defying warnings from Baghdad and their neighbours in a historic step towards a national dream (AFP)

An Iraqi Kurdish man casts his vote in the Kurdish independence referendum in Arbil, on September 25, 2017.
Iraqi Kurds voted in an independence referendum, defying warnings from Baghdad and their neighbours in a historic step towards a national dream. (AFP)

An Iraqi Kurdish man shows his ink-stained finger after casting his vote in the Kurdish independence referendum in Arbil, on September 25, 2017.
Iraqi Kurds voted in an independence referendum, defying warnings from Baghdad and their neighbours in a historic step towards a national dream. (AFP)

Iraqi Christian woman casts her vote in the Kurdish independence referendum in Arbil, on September 25, 2017.
Iraqi Kurds voted in an independence referendum, defying warnings from Baghdad and their neighbours in a historic step towards a national dream. (AFP)