"
The electoral commission announced then that the main Kurdish coalition had a quarter of the 4.6 million votes tallied so far, behind the leading Shiite slate of candidates but well ahead of the other parties. The Kurds are expected to take at least a fifth of the 275 assembly seats by the time the final count is announced.

Securing the president's office would give the Kurds enormous power in appointing key members of the new government, including the prime minister, and would bolster the standing of Kurds in the Middle East, where the governments of Turkey, Syria and Iran are fearful of any moves toward independence by minority Kurd populations in their own countries. "

NYT

It looks like the Kurds are well on their way to becoming the new powerbrokers in the region.

I think that within just a few years you will not be able to recognize the place. The Kurds are on the move and like a runaway train, there's no stopping them now.