Voting ends in controversial poll in northern Iraq

ERBIL, IRAQ - SEPTEMBER 25: Officials count ballots at a polling stations after the controversial referendum for an independent state of Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (IKRG) on September 25, 2017. The polls were due to be closed at 6 p.m. local time (3 GMT), but the Kurdish Regional Government’s Election Commission extended the operation by another hour to allow voters cast their votes, with the exception of Kirkuk province. The commission said the turnout stood at 76 percent. Local authorities have urged the residents not to carry out aerial firing while celebrating the success of the referendum. (Footage by Ihsan Muhammet/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)