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Photos: Iraq gains foothold over Kurdish frontier as Barzani resigns

Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani departed office on Wednesday, leaving his nephew to reconcile with the central government in Baghdad, with regional neighbours and with rival Kurdish parties after a failed referendum on independence.

Updated on: Nov 01, 2017 5:03 PM IST

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An Iraqi Kurd holds a picture of Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) leader Massud Barzani, during a protest in his support in Arbil, the capital of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan. Masoud Barzani told a closed-door session of the regional parliament on October 29, 2017 that he was stepping down amid the fallout of the controversial Kurdish independence referendum and Iraqi military intervention in Kurdish-held territories. (Safin Hamed / AFP)

Updated on Nov 01, 2017 5:03 PM

An Iraqi Kurd holds a picture of Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) leader Massud Barzani, during a protest in his support in Arbil, the capital of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan. Masoud Barzani told a closed-door session of the regional parliament on October 29, 2017 that he was stepping down amid the fallout of the controversial Kurdish independence referendum and Iraqi military intervention in Kurdish-held territories. (Safin Hamed / AFP)

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Masoud Barzani announces his decision to step down in a televised speech on October 29, 2017. Barzani, who has been at the forefront of Kurdish independence efforts for nearly four decades and the KRG president for 12 years, organised the September 25 referendum in defiance of Baghdad and world powers. In his speech he said he would ‘remain a peshmerga’ and ‘continue to defend the achievements of the people of Kurdistan.’ (KURDISTAN 24 TV via REUTERS TV)

Updated on Nov 01, 2017 5:03 PM

Masoud Barzani announces his decision to step down in a televised speech on October 29, 2017. Barzani, who has been at the forefront of Kurdish independence efforts for nearly four decades and the KRG president for 12 years, organised the September 25 referendum in defiance of Baghdad and world powers. In his speech he said he would ‘remain a peshmerga’ and ‘continue to defend the achievements of the people of Kurdistan.’ (KURDISTAN 24 TV via REUTERS TV)

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Syrian Kurds wave the Kurdish flag in celebration of the independence referendum in Iraq’s autonomous northern Kurdish region, in the Syrian city of Qamishli on September 26, 2017. Thousands in the Kurdish region had cast votes on September 25 in a referendum which was billed as a first step towards independence from Baghdad, defying fears that the outcome could spark violence. (Delil Souleiman / AFP )

Updated on Nov 01, 2017 5:03 PM

Syrian Kurds wave the Kurdish flag in celebration of the independence referendum in Iraq’s autonomous northern Kurdish region, in the Syrian city of Qamishli on September 26, 2017. Thousands in the Kurdish region had cast votes on September 25 in a referendum which was billed as a first step towards independence from Baghdad, defying fears that the outcome could spark violence. (Delil Souleiman / AFP )

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Iraqi forces gather at their camp on the front line near the border town of Fishkhabur on October 28, 2017. The pro-independence camp won a crushing victory in the non-binding poll which Baghdad considered illegal, and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered Iraqi troops to take control of areas claimed by both Baghdad and the KRG. (Ahmad Al- Rubaye / AFP )

Updated on Nov 01, 2017 5:03 PM

Iraqi forces gather at their camp on the front line near the border town of Fishkhabur on October 28, 2017. The pro-independence camp won a crushing victory in the non-binding poll which Baghdad considered illegal, and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered Iraqi troops to take control of areas claimed by both Baghdad and the KRG. (Ahmad Al- Rubaye / AFP )

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Iraqi Kurds take part in a demonstration outside the US consulate in Erbil to protest against the escalating crisis with Baghdad. Washington, which has worked closely with both Kurdish and Iraqi forces in the battle against the Islamic State group, had urged Barzani not to go ahead with the vote. (Safin Hamed / AFP)

Updated on Nov 01, 2017 5:03 PM

Iraqi Kurds take part in a demonstration outside the US consulate in Erbil to protest against the escalating crisis with Baghdad. Washington, which has worked closely with both Kurdish and Iraqi forces in the battle against the Islamic State group, had urged Barzani not to go ahead with the vote. (Safin Hamed / AFP)

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An Iraqi flag is seen on a military vehicle at an oil field in Kirkuk. Control of the border areas is of crucial for the landlocked Kurdish region. An oil pipeline runs from northern Iraq into Turkey, carrying crude exports which were the principal source of funds for the Kurds. Since mid-October, Iraqi forces have reclaimed the oil-rich province of Kirkuk dealing a severe blow to Barzani’s ambitions of Kurdish statehood. (Alaa Al-Marjani / REUTERS)

Updated on Nov 01, 2017 5:03 PM

An Iraqi flag is seen on a military vehicle at an oil field in Kirkuk. Control of the border areas is of crucial for the landlocked Kurdish region. An oil pipeline runs from northern Iraq into Turkey, carrying crude exports which were the principal source of funds for the Kurds. Since mid-October, Iraqi forces have reclaimed the oil-rich province of Kirkuk dealing a severe blow to Barzani’s ambitions of Kurdish statehood. (Alaa Al-Marjani / REUTERS)

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A general view of Kurdish MPs sitting during a session of Kurdistan’s regional parliament in Erbil. Massud Barzani accused his political rivals of ‘high treason’ for giving up the contested oil-rich city of Kirkuk to central government troops. The KRG and the central government held talks from Friday till Sunday last week to resolve their conflict. (KURDISH PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE / HO / AFP )

Updated on Nov 01, 2017 5:03 PM

A general view of Kurdish MPs sitting during a session of Kurdistan’s regional parliament in Erbil. Massud Barzani accused his political rivals of ‘high treason’ for giving up the contested oil-rich city of Kirkuk to central government troops. The KRG and the central government held talks from Friday till Sunday last week to resolve their conflict. (KURDISH PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE / HO / AFP )

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An Iraqi Kurd wears a scarf bearing a portrait of the Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani, during a protest in his support, in Erbil. The loss of the oilfields, which provided income that would have been critical to an independent Kurdish state, sparked recriminations among Kurds and ratcheted up the pressure on Barzani to quit. (Safin Hamed / AFP)

Updated on Nov 01, 2017 5:03 PM

An Iraqi Kurd wears a scarf bearing a portrait of the Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani, during a protest in his support, in Erbil. The loss of the oilfields, which provided income that would have been critical to an independent Kurdish state, sparked recriminations among Kurds and ratcheted up the pressure on Barzani to quit. (Safin Hamed / AFP)

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