Millions of Kurds expected to vote for independence in northern Iraq, amid international opposition against poll.
People in Iraq's autonomous region of Kurdistan are voting in an independence referendum, amid rising tensions and international opposition.
Polls opened at 05:00 GMT with balloting also taking place in the disputed areas between the northern city of Erbil and the capital Baghdad, as well as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, which is ethnically mixed.
The central government in Baghdad, which strongly opposes the referendum, sought control of the region's international border posts and international airports on Sunday, in anticipation of Monday's vote.
READ MORE: Tensions rise in Iraq ahead of Kurdish referendum
Iraq's government has also called on foreign countries to stop importing oil from the Kurdish region and to deal with them instead.
In a televised address on Sunday, Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned of the dire consequences of the vote and vowed to never accept the disintegration of Iraq.
"This is an unconstitutional decision against the social fabric of our citizens. We will not recognise the referendum, nor its results," Abadi said.
"We will take follow-up steps to protect the unity of the country and the interests of every citizen living in a unified Iraq."
Meanwhile, the President of Iraq's Kurdish regional government, Masoud Barzani, has defended the decision to hold the referendum.
"Is it a crime to ask people in Kurdistan to express in a democratic way what they want to have for the future?" he asked in a speech on Sunday.
The Kurdish leader also said he would seek talks with Iraq's central government on how to implement the outcome of the vote.
"If we have a constructive dialogue, then we can give it even more time, in order to secure better relations between the Kurds and Baghdad," he said.
About 2,065 polling stations are open for 10 hours. A total of 5.6 million people are eligible to vote in Kurdistan and other Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Iraq, according to the election commission.
Voters will be asked: "Do you want the Kurdistan region and Kurdish areas outside the region to become an independent state?"
Official results are expected by Tuesday.
Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from the Kurdish capital of Erbil, said despite the "tug of war" between the politicians, there is "an upbeat atmosphere".
"The Kurds say that this is their time to express their opinion and to take their future into their own hands," she said.
Opposition to vote
The Kurds are likely to approve the referendum, but the non-binding vote is not expected to result in any formal declaration of independence.
The referendum has raised alarm in Iraq's neighbours - Turkey, Iran and Syria - over concerns it could encourage their own Kurdish minorities to break away.
Iran halted flights to airports in Iraqi Kurdistan at the request of the central government in Baghdad on Sunday, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
Turkey has warned it may impose sanctions on Kurdistan over the plebiscite.
The United States and the United Nations have also condemned the referendum.
The UN has warned of the vote's "potentially destabilising effect," while the US has said it could fuel regional unrest and distract attention from ongoing campaigns to rout Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies
Ayer, en el norte de , el  votó por el . Más de cinco millones de personas en el estado autónomo de  y sus zonas controladas, la , la , así como la capital iraquí, , votaron en más de 2000 urnas, a pesar de que el gobierno central iraquí se opuso fuertemente al referéndum.

La votación comenzó a las 8:00 am, hora local (UTC + 0300), y estuvo abierta durante diez horas. La papeleta decía: "¿Quieres que la región del Kurdistán y las zonas de Kurdistán fuera de la administración de la región se conviertan en un Estado independiente?". La pregunta estaba escrita en árabe, kurdo, asirio y turco. El domingo, el presidente del gobierno regional del Kurdistán, , defendió el referéndum no vinculante, diciendo: "¿Es un crimen pedir a la gente del Kurdistán que exprese de manera democrática lo que quiere tener para el futuro?". También dijo que el gobierno kurdo ofrecería a Bagdad "todo el tiempo necesario" para la negociación, pero el Kurdistán "nunca volvería a la asociación fracasada". Los kurdos son el grupo étnico más grande de Iraq. Kurdistán obtuvo el estatuto de provincia autónoma en 1991.

El gobierno iraquí pidió a los países vecinos que no importen petróleo del Kurdistán. El domingo, el primer ministro, , calificó este referéndum de "decisión inconstitucional contra el tejido social de nuestros ciudadanos, no reconoceremos el referéndum ni sus resultados". También dijo: "Tomaremos medidas de seguimiento para proteger la unidad del país y los intereses de todos los ciudadanos que viven en un Iraq unificado".

Los países vecinos de Iraq expresaron su apoyo al gobierno central iraquí. Irán bloqueó la frontera terrestre con Kurdistán ayer. El portavoz del ministerio iraní, Behram Qasimi, dijo que "a petición de Iraq, hemos cerrado el espacio aéreo y las fronteras terrestres con el Gobierno Regional Kurdo". El presidente turco, , dijo que Turquía había bloqueado la frontera de Habur y que dejarían de importar petróleo del Kurdistán. La conexión aérea de Irán y Turquía a la provincia de Kurdistán fue bloqueada desde el domingo. , ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Siria, dijo que reconocen el Iraq unificado.

Se espera que los resultados del referéndum sean declarados para mañana.