Iran, Iraq plan joint drills over Kurdish independence vote

[TomSea]

Iran, Iraq plan joint drills over Kurdish independence vote

Turkish soldiers ride armoured vehicles near the Habur crossing gate between Turkey and Iraq during a military drill, in this September 27th photo, in the Silopi district, Southeastern Turkey (AFP)

TEHRAN: Iran will hold a joint military exercise with Iraq in response to the Iraqi Kurdistan region’s “illegitimate” independence referendum, an Iranian military official announced on Saturday.

Iran, which borders Iraq and the autonomous Kurdish region, strongly opposed the vote held Monday, fearing it would provoke separatists among its own Kurdish population.
Iraq’s central government has demanded the annulment of the referendum, which resulted in a huge “yes” for independence.

“A joint military exercise between Iran’s armed forces and units from the Iraqi army will be held in the coming days along the shared border,” Iranian Armed Forces spokesman Masoud Jazayeri told reporters.

Read more at: http://www.arabnews.com/node/1170136/middle-east