ERBIL — Kurdish prominent leader and the president of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Masoud Barzani, marked the third anniversary of the historic independence referendum of Kurdistan on Friday.

“We do not bow down,” the Kurdish leader, who served as the president of Kurdistan Region during the referendum and spearheaded the huge event in 2017.

In the independence referendum, 92.7% of the people voted in favor of statehood despite the huge pressure from Baghdad, the neighboring countries, and the Western powers.

“Do not bow down” has become a moto for the Kurdish resistance after a Peshmerga fighter appeared during a live stream on a television while fighting back the Iranian-backed Shia militias of Hashd al-Shaabi between Erbil and Kirkuk in October 2017.

BasNews