sentences:  The Iraqi government rejected the results of the referendum.On 15 October, units of the Iraqi security forces and Popular Mobilization Forces entered the Kurdish-held city of Kirkuk, forcing a withdrawal of the Peshmerga and prompting similar withdrawals across other contested cities of northern Iraq.Following the failure of the referendum and the Peshmerga's territorial losses, Barzani announced on 29 October that he would step down as the President of Kurdistan Region.