The president of the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq has spoken of his intentions to hold a referendum for Kurdish independence from Iraq.
Speaking to the BBC, Massoud Barzani said that although the Kurds would contribute in tackling the crisis caused by the ISIS rebellion in Iraq, they would ultimately still pursue independence.
Mr Barzani said:
"Everything that's happened recently shows that it's the right of Kurdistan to achieve independence,"
"From now on, we won't hide that that's our goal. Iraq is effectively partitioned now. Are we supposed to stay in this tragic situation the country's living? It's not me who will decide on independence. It's the people. We'll hold a referendum and it's a matter of months."