All foreign flights to and from the Iraqi Kurdish regional capital Arbil will be suspended from tomorrow evening on Baghdad's orders. <br/><br/>Arbil airport director Talar Faiq Salih told AFP today that following a controversial independence referendum all international flights without exception to and from Arbil will stop from 6:00 pm tomorrow following a decision by the Iraqi cabinet and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.<br/><br/>Abadi ordered the halt to flights serving airports in Iraqi Kurdistan in retaliation for the independence referendum held on Monday in defiance of Baghdad which delivered a resounding 92.73 "yes" vote. <br/><br/>A large number of foreigners working in Arbil were leaving the city today for fear of being stranded with only a visa issued by the Kurdish authorities and not recognised by Baghdad. <br/><br/>Regional carriers, including Turkish Airlines, EgyptAir and Lebanon's Middle East Airlines had already announced that they would be suspending their flights serving Iraqi Kurdistan at Baghdad's request. <br/><br/>The Arbil airport director said she deeply regretted the decision, which she said would hamper the campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, as well as the delivery of aid to those displaced by it.