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.

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.”

Barzani also described the Kurdish retreat from Kirkuk as an act of treason, and condemned the US for failing to support the Kurds.

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