Sputnik News- President of Iraqi Kurdistan Masoud Barzani pledges to respond by force to any attempts to prevent the region's independence referendum.

President of Iraqi Kurdistan Masoud Barzani has vowed to respond by force to any attempt to disrupt the independence referendum, set for September 25.

"If someone wants to try themselves, and to break the will of the people of Kurdistan by force, the field is open for them to come and give it a try," Barzani said Wednesday, adding that the Kurdish authorities were ready to implement their right to self-defense, as quoted by Rudaw news agency.

Barzani's comment came as�a response to�the statements made by�some representatives of�the Shiite militarized groups against�the referendum.

In June, Barzani set September 25 as�the date for�an independence referendum. The announced referendum has been widely criticized by�a number of�countries, including Iran, the United States and Iraq.