Court orders arrest of vote organizers

An Iraqi court yesterday ordered the arrest of senior Kurdish officials responsible for organising an independence referendum, in the latest salvo by the central authorities over the disputed vote.

The decision ratchets up pressure on Iraqi Kurdistan just over two weeks after voters in the autonomous region overwhelmingly backed independence in the non-binding ballot slammed as illegal by Baghdad.

Acting on a request from the National Security Council headed by Iraq's prime minister, a court in east Baghdad issued warrants against the chairman of the vote's organising commission Hendren Saleh and two other members, Supreme Judicial Council spokesman Abdel Sattar Bayraqdar told AFP.

It ruled that the three "organised the referendum in contravention of a ruling by the Iraqi supreme court," which had found the vote unconstitutional and ordered it called off.

In retaliation the central authorities have already severed ties between the region and the outside world by cutting international air links, while neighbouring Turkey and Iran have threatened to close their borders to oil exports.

Iraq is pushing Turkey and Iran -- which both opposed the ballot over fears of fuelling demands from their own sizeable Kurdish communities -- to close their border posts with Kurdistan and stop all trade with the region.

Washington warned the referendum could "increase instability" in the region and have an impact on the battle against IS, in which Kurdish fighters have been a key force.