Iraq's parliament demanded that troops be sent to disputed areas in the north controlled by the Kurds since 2003 as the autonomous Kurdish area staged a referendum on independence, Daily Mail reported.

"Parliament demands that the head of the army (Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi) deploy forces in all of the zones the autonomous region of Kurdistan has taken control of since 2003," a resolution said.

Under Iraq's constitution, the government is obliged to comply with the parliamentary vote.