A picture taken on September 25, 2017 shows members of SWAT security forces, affiliated to the Iraqi Interior Ministry, deploying in the streets of the northern city of Kirkuk during the vote on Kurdish independence. Ahmad Al Rubaye / AFP

He said the referendum in Kurdistan defied the Iraqi constitution, did not help the Kurds and Iraq's security. He added that the referendum carries a lot of risks for the security of Iraq and the region.