Preparations Continue for the Iraqi Kurdistan Independence Referendum

SULAYMANIYAH , IRAQ - SEPTEMBER 23: A man makes traditional Kurdish shoes at his workshop ahead of the upcoming referendum for independence of Kurdistan on September 23, 2017 in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. The Kurdish Regional government is preparing to hold the September 25, independence referendum despite strong objection from neighboring countries and the Iraqi government, which voted Tuesday to reject Kurdistan's referendum and authorized the Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to take measures against the vote. Despite the mounting pressures Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani continues to campaign and state his determination to go ahead with the vote.o (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)