<p>Thousands of Kurds protested outside the regional parliament in Irbil on October 30 in support of Masoud Barzani, who had announced he was stepping down as regional president in a televised address the day before.</p><p>Barzani defended the independence referendum which culminated in a Baghdad-backed offensive to retake control of what had been a largely autonomous region. He said the result of the vote could “never be erased.”</p><p>Barzani also described the Kurdish retreat from Kirkuk as an act of treason, and condemned the US for failing to support the Kurds.</p><p>Delegates at the Irbil parliament voted on October 29 to accept Barzani’s resignation amid chaotic scenes, as demonstrators, some of the armed, stormed the building. Credit: Facebook/ARK TV via Storyful</p><br />
