Iraqi Kurdish men, one holding the Kurdish flag (back), ride their horses during a commemoration marking the 23th anniversary of the uprising against the regime of toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, on March 11, 2014, in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq. Goverened by the Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraqi Kurdistan today enjoys a high level of autonomy from the Iraqi capital Baghdad and has its own security forces, government and flag. AFP PHOTO / SAFIN HAMED