Is Turkey launching another war in the region?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that the Kurdish regional government's independence referendum could cause widespread consequences for the area, including Turkish military action and the deadlock of a key fuel pipeline.

While elections for the region's independence are under way in northern Iraq, Erdogan hinted that the military force could be used to preserve the status quo in the region.

Erdogan said Turkey's neighbours “should not expect us to make a blind eye”.

“He said in a message on Twitter.

He added how much Iraq, Syria “to pose a threat to our country... we have all options ahead of us”.

Erdogan's comments come as Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement promised “Or take every measure that stems from international law and authority granted by Turkey's National Assembly”.

Responding to the effort of the Kurdish federal region, which charges in a mandate for independence from Iraq, Erdogan said Turkey could block gas coming from the region.

The two nations operate on the Kirkuk-Ceyhan line, which in 970km, is Iraq's main oil export pipeline to the west.

“After that, let's see through which channel the Iraqi regional government will send its oil, or where it will sell it,” Erdogan said in a speech delivered Monday.

We have the faucet. The moment we close the faucet, then it's all over”.

Turkey's southeastern border has been the scene of a long separatist battle by those seeking a Kurdish state. According to the International Crisis Group, which records violence in the region, about 2,448 people have died in conflict since 2016.