The president of Iraqi Kurdistan has signalled it will draw the borders of a future Kurdish state if Baghdad does not accept a vote for independence in a referendum due later this month.

Massoud Barzani told the BBC he wanted to reach an agreement with the central government if Kurds opted to secede.

Iraq’s prime minister has rejected the referendum as unconstitutional.

Mr Barzani also warned the Kurds would fight any group that tried to change the “reality” in Kirkuk by force.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces have taken control of the oil-rich city, which has large Arab and Turkmen populations, and other areas claimed by Baghdad over the past three years while driving out the jihadist group Islamic State.

Shia militias have said they will not allow Kirkuk to be part of an independent Kurdistan.

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Who are the Kurds?

Iraqi Kurdistan profile

Kurds are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, but they have never obtained a permanent nation state.

In Iraq, where they make up an estimated 15% to 20% of the population of 37 million, Kurds faced decades of brutal repression by Arab-led governments before acquiring de facto autonomy following the 1991 Gulf War.

Three months ago, top officials and political parties in the Kurdistan Regional Government agreed to hold an advisory referendum on independence.