{"id":103438,"date":"2017-09-26T00:00:48","date_gmt":"2017-09-25T22:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438"},"modified":"2017-09-26T00:00:48","modified_gmt":"2017-09-25T22:00:48","slug":"turnout-high-as-iraqi-kurds-defy-threats-to-hold-independence-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438","title":{"rendered":"Turnout high as Iraqi Kurds defy threats to hold independence vote"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Kurds voted in large numbers in an independence referendum in northern Iraq on Monday, ignoring pressure from Baghdad, threats from Turkey and Iran, and international warnings that the vote may ignite yet more regional conflict.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The vote organized by Kurdish authorities is expected to deliver a comfortable \u201cyes\u201d for independence, but is not binding. However, it is designed to give Masoud Barzani, who heads the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a mandate to negotiate the secession of the oil-producing region.<\/p>\n

Turnout was 76 percent an hour before voting closed, the Kurdish Rudaw TV station said.<\/p>\n

For Iraqi Kurds – the largest ethnic group left stateless when the Ottoman empire collapsed a century ago – the referendum offers a historic opportunity despite intense international pressure to call it off.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have seen worse, we have seen injustice, killings and blockades,\u201d said Talat, waiting to vote in the regional capital of Erbil, as a group of smiling women, in colorful Kurdish dress, emerged from the school showing their fingers stained with ink, a sign that they voted.<\/p>\n

At Sheikh Amir village, near the Peshmerga front lines west of Erbil, long lines of Kurdish fighters waited to vote at a former school. Most emerged smiling, holding up ink-marked fingers.<\/p>\n

In the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk, Kurds sang and danced as they flocked to polling stations.<\/p>\n

Opposition to the vote has been simmering among the Arabs and Turkmen who live alongside the Kurds in the northern Iraqi city and there had been rumors that the vote would not take place in mixed areas. Officials later ordered an overnight curfew.<\/p>\n

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered security services \u201cto protect citizens being threatened and coerced\u201d in the Kurdish region, after unconfirmed reports that Arabs in a small town in eastern Iraq were compelled to vote yes. Kurdish officials say no such coercion happened.<\/p>\n

In Baghdad, lawyer Adil Salman said the referendum resulted from the weakness of the Iraqi government. \u201cThe scenario we\u2019re seeing now is of state disintegration,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Kurds also say the vote acknowledges their contribution in confronting Islamic State after it overwhelmed the Iraqi army in 2014 and seized control of a third of Iraq.<\/p>\n

But with 30 million ethnic Kurds scattered over international borders across the region, Tehran and Ankara fear the spread of separatism to their own Kurdish populations.<\/p>\n

President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey could cut off the pipeline that carries oil from northern Iraq to the outside world, piling more pressure on the Kurds.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter this, let\u2019s see through which channels the northern Iraqi regional government will send its oil, or where it will sell it,\u201d Erdogan said in Istanbul. \u201cWe have the tap. The moment we close the tap, then it\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turkey later took the Rudaw television channel off its satellite service TurkSat, a Turkish broadcasting official told Reuters.<\/p>\n

The U.S. State Department warned the Kurds last week that \u201cholding the referendum in disputed areas is particularly provocative and destabilizing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The referendum is taking place not only in the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq, but also in areas in the north of the country where Kurdish forces have advanced against Islamic State. These areas also have large non-Kurdish populations.<\/p>\n

Turkey said it did not recognize the referendum and would view its outcome as null and void, adding that the Iraqi Kurdish government was threatening the peace and stability of Iraq and the whole region.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said his government was evaluating possible punitive steps regarding its border with northern Iraq and air space in response to the vote.<\/p>\n

Erdogan said traffic was only being allowed to cross from the Turkish side of the border into Kurdishh areas of Iraq.<\/p>\n

Ankara\u2019s forces are again fighting a Kurdish insurgency in Turkey following the collapse of a peace process.<\/p>\n
\"Masrour<\/a>
Masrour Barzani, head of the Iraqi Kurdish region’s national Security Council, casts his vote during Kurds independence referendum in Erbil, Iraq<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

FLIGHT BAN<\/h3>\n

Iran announced a ban on direct flights to and from Kurdistan on Sunday, while Baghdad asked foreign countries to stop direct oil trading with the Kurdish region and demanded that the KRG hands over control of its international airports and border posts with Iran, Turkey and Syria.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, a top military adviser to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, said Iran regarded the referendum as \u201ctreason\u201d against the Iraqi Kurds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran has blocked air traffic to this region but we are hopeful that the four neighboring countries will block the land borders with Iraq too,\u201d he was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.<\/p>\n

Tehran supports Shi\u2018ite groups who have been ruling or holding security and government positions in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion which toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.<\/p>\n

Syria, embroiled in a devastating civil war and whose Kurds are pressing ahead with their own self-determination, rejected the referendum.<\/p>\n

Iraqi Kurdish prime Minister Nechirvan Barxani said he hoped to maintain good relations with Turkey and the referendum was not a threat to Ankara.<\/div>\n

\u201cThe referendum does not mean independence will happen tomorrow, nor are we redrawing borders,\u201d he said in Erbil. \u201cIf the \u2018Yes\u2019 vote wins, we will resolve our issues with Baghdad peacefully.\u201d<\/p>\n

OPPOSITION<\/h3>\n

Opposition to the vote has emerged among non-Kurdish populations in areas disputed by the KRG and Baghdad, mainly the oil-rich region of Kirkuk.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIraq is against the Kurds, so are the Turks, the Iranians, the whole Arab region and Europe. They are going to live in a cage,\u201d said Mohammed Mahdi al-Bayati, a Shi\u2018ite Turkmen and a local leader of the Iranian-backed Badr Organisation paramilitary group in Tuz Khurmato, south of Kirkuk.<\/p>\n

In Sulaimaniya, a center for political groups opposed to Barzani, queues at polling stations were shorter than in Erbil. There were fewer billboards celebrating the referendum, reflecting resentment that a yes vote could be seen as a plebiscite for the Kurdish leader.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will not vote, the referendum is not good, and it could be dangerous because of the threat from Turkey and Iran,\u201d said a shop owner in Sulaimaniya, Ali Ahmed.<\/p>\n

After World War One, Britain and France carved up the Ottoman empire, leaving the Kurds scattered mainly over four countries: Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria.<\/p>\n

All of them suffered persecution and were often denied the right to speak their language. Those in Iraq were uprooted under Saddam and suffered an attack using chemical weapons.<\/p>\n

POLLING STATIONS<\/h3>\n

Polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) and were supposed to close at 6:00 p.m., although voting continued in some areas. Final results were expected within 72 hours.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Voting is open to all registered residents, Kurds and non-Kurds, in the Kurdish-held areas of northern Iraq aged 18 and over, according to the referendum commission.<\/p>\n

There are about 5.2 million eligible voters, including those living abroad who began voting two days ago.<\/p>\n

Voters should tick yes or no on the ballot asking them just one question in Kurdish, Turkish, Arabic and Assyrian: \u201cdo you want the Kurdistan Region and Kurdistani areas outside the (Kurdistan) Region to become an independent country?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Kurds voted in large numbers in an independence referendum in northern Iraq on Monday, ignoring pressure from Baghdad, threats from Turkey and Iran, and international warnings that the vote may ignite yet more regional conflict. The vote organized by Kurdish authorities is expected to deliver a comfortable \u201cyes\u201d for independence, but is not binding. However, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":103442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-te-public"],"yoast_head":"\nTurnout high as Iraqi Kurds defy threats to hold independence vote - Arab Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ar_AR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Turnout high as Iraqi Kurds defy threats to hold independence vote - Arab Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0Kurds voted in large numbers in an independence referendum in northern Iraq on Monday, ignoring pressure from Baghdad, threats from Turkey and Iran, and international warnings that the vote may ignite yet more regional conflict. The vote organized by Kurdish authorities is expected to deliver a comfortable \u201cyes\u201d for independence, but is not binding. However, …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arab Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/aliarabtelegraphhttps:\/\/m.facebook.com\/ali.aed2https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/aliarabtelegraph:\/\/www.facebook.com\/https:\/\/www.google.com\/?hl=ar\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/aliarabtelegraphhttps:\/\/m.facebook.com\/ali.aed2https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/aliarabtelegraph:\/\/www.facebook.com\/https:\/\/www.google.com\/?hl=ar\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-25T22:00:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/18.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"939\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"655\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Arab Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/aligazette\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@aligazette\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"\u0643\u064f\u062a\u0628 \u0628\u0648\u0627\u0633\u0637\u0629\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Arab Telegraph\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"\u0648\u0642\u062a \u0627\u0644\u0642\u0631\u0627\u0621\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u064f\u0642\u062f\u0651\u0631\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 \u062f\u0642\u0627\u0626\u0642\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/?p=103438#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/?p=103438\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Arab Telegraph\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b796bd29af18bedbb5ec003a20ada50d\"},\"headline\":\"Turnout high as Iraqi Kurds defy threats to hold independence vote\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-25T22:00:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/?p=103438\"},\"wordCount\":1197,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b796bd29af18bedbb5ec003a20ada50d\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/?p=103438#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/09\\\/18.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"PUBLIC\"],\"inLanguage\":\"ar\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/?p=103438#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/?p=103438\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/?p=103438\",\"name\":\"Turnout high as Iraqi Kurds defy threats to hold independence vote - Arab Telegraph\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/?p=103438#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/?p=103438#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/09\\\/18.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-25T22:00:48+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/?p=103438#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"ar\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/?p=103438\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ar\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/?p=103438#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/09\\\/18.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/09\\\/18.jpg\",\"width\":939,\"height\":655,\"caption\":\"A woman casts her vote at a polling station during Kurds independence referendum in Kirkuk, Iraq\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/?p=103438#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"\u0627\u0644\u0631\u0626\u064a\u0633\u064a\u0629\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Turnout high as Iraqi Kurds defy threats to hold independence vote\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u0639\u0631\u0628 \u062a\u0644\u064a\u062c\u0631\u0627\u0641\",\"description\":\"\u0623\u062e\u0628\u0627\u0631...\u0645\u0646 \u062e\u0644\u0641 \u0627\u0644\u0623\u0633\u0648\u0627\u0631\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b796bd29af18bedbb5ec003a20ada50d\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"ar\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b796bd29af18bedbb5ec003a20ada50d\",\"name\":\"Arab Telegraph\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ar\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/\u0644\u0648\u062c\u0648-\u0639\u0631\u0628-\u062a\u0644\u064a\u062c\u0631\u0627\u0641-1-1.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/\u0644\u0648\u062c\u0648-\u0639\u0631\u0628-\u062a\u0644\u064a\u062c\u0631\u0627\u0641-1-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/\u0644\u0648\u062c\u0648-\u0639\u0631\u0628-\u062a\u0644\u064a\u062c\u0631\u0627\u0641-1-1.jpg\",\"width\":300,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"Arab Telegraph\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/\u0644\u0648\u062c\u0648-\u0639\u0631\u0628-\u062a\u0644\u064a\u062c\u0631\u0627\u0641-1-1.jpg\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/aliarabtelegraphhttps:\\\/\\\/m.facebook.com\\\/ali.aed2https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/aliarabtelegraph:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.google.com\\\/?hl=ar\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/arabtelegraph\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.google.com.sa\\\/?hl=ar\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/aligazette\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.arabtelegraph.com\\\/?author=3\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Turnout high as Iraqi Kurds defy threats to hold independence vote - Arab Telegraph","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438","og_locale":"ar_AR","og_type":"article","og_title":"Turnout high as Iraqi Kurds defy threats to hold independence vote - Arab Telegraph","og_description":"\u00a0Kurds voted in large numbers in an independence referendum in northern Iraq on Monday, ignoring pressure from Baghdad, threats from Turkey and Iran, and international warnings that the vote may ignite yet more regional conflict. The vote organized by Kurdish authorities is expected to deliver a comfortable \u201cyes\u201d for independence, but is not binding. However, …","og_url":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438","og_site_name":"Arab Telegraph","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/aliarabtelegraphhttps:\/\/m.facebook.com\/ali.aed2https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/aliarabtelegraph:\/\/www.facebook.com\/https:\/\/www.google.com\/?hl=ar\/","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/aliarabtelegraphhttps:\/\/m.facebook.com\/ali.aed2https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/aliarabtelegraph:\/\/www.facebook.com\/https:\/\/www.google.com\/?hl=ar\/","article_published_time":"2017-09-25T22:00:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":939,"height":655,"url":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/18.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Arab Telegraph","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/aligazette","twitter_site":"@aligazette","twitter_misc":{"\u0643\u064f\u062a\u0628 \u0628\u0648\u0627\u0633\u0637\u0629":"Arab Telegraph","\u0648\u0642\u062a \u0627\u0644\u0642\u0631\u0627\u0621\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u064f\u0642\u062f\u0651\u0631":"6 \u062f\u0642\u0627\u0626\u0642"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438"},"author":{"name":"Arab Telegraph","@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b796bd29af18bedbb5ec003a20ada50d"},"headline":"Turnout high as Iraqi Kurds defy threats to hold independence vote","datePublished":"2017-09-25T22:00:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438"},"wordCount":1197,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b796bd29af18bedbb5ec003a20ada50d"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/18.jpg","articleSection":["PUBLIC"],"inLanguage":"ar","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438","url":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438","name":"Turnout high as Iraqi Kurds defy threats to hold independence vote - Arab Telegraph","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/18.jpg","datePublished":"2017-09-25T22:00:48+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"ar","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ar","@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/18.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/18.jpg","width":939,"height":655,"caption":"A woman casts her vote at a polling station during Kurds independence referendum in Kirkuk, Iraq"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=103438#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u0627\u0644\u0631\u0626\u064a\u0633\u064a\u0629","item":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Turnout high as Iraqi Kurds defy threats to hold independence vote"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/","name":"\u0639\u0631\u0628 \u062a\u0644\u064a\u062c\u0631\u0627\u0641","description":"\u0623\u062e\u0628\u0627\u0631...\u0645\u0646 \u062e\u0644\u0641 \u0627\u0644\u0623\u0633\u0648\u0627\u0631","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b796bd29af18bedbb5ec003a20ada50d"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"ar"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b796bd29af18bedbb5ec003a20ada50d","name":"Arab Telegraph","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ar","@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/\u0644\u0648\u062c\u0648-\u0639\u0631\u0628-\u062a\u0644\u064a\u062c\u0631\u0627\u0641-1-1.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/\u0644\u0648\u062c\u0648-\u0639\u0631\u0628-\u062a\u0644\u064a\u062c\u0631\u0627\u0641-1-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/\u0644\u0648\u062c\u0648-\u0639\u0631\u0628-\u062a\u0644\u064a\u062c\u0631\u0627\u0641-1-1.jpg","width":300,"height":150,"caption":"Arab Telegraph"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/\u0644\u0648\u062c\u0648-\u0639\u0631\u0628-\u062a\u0644\u064a\u062c\u0631\u0627\u0641-1-1.jpg"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/aliarabtelegraphhttps:\/\/m.facebook.com\/ali.aed2https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/aliarabtelegraph:\/\/www.facebook.com\/https:\/\/www.google.com\/?hl=ar\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/arabtelegraph\/","https:\/\/www.google.com.sa\/?hl=ar","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/aligazette"],"url":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?author=3"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/18.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=103438"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103445,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103438\/revisions\/103445"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/103442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=103438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=103438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=103438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}