PM Barzani Calls for Restraint as Tensions Escalate in Sulaimani
Prime Minister Barzani warned that the unrest poses a serious threat to the overall security and stability of the Kurdistan Region.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Friday urged calm and restraint from all sides following escalating clashes in Sulaimani between Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani's forces and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) forces.
Prime Minister Barzani warned that the unrest poses a serious threat to the overall security and stability of the Kurdistan Region. He called on political parties to fulfill their responsibilities, immediately cease hostilities, and refrain from making the region’s youth victims of internal disputes.
“Any tensions and disagreements must be resolved through legal means, not through violence,” Barzani said, emphasizing his government’s commitment to working with all sides to end the tensions and prevent further bloodshed.
The Prime Minister’s remarks came after PUK forces arrested Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani and his brother, Polad Sheikh Jangi, on Thursday. The arrests followed reports from PUK-affiliated media that several fighters loyal to Sheikh Jangi had surrendered at the Lalazar Hotel, the site of heavy clashes in recent days.
The situation in Sulaimani remains tense as rival groups continue to mobilize, raising fears of further instability in the region.
Lahur Sheikh Jangi previously served as co-president of the PUK alongside his cousin Bafel Talabani. However, internal power struggles within the party escalated in July 2021, when Bafel ordered the closure of a media outlet linked to Lahur and dismissed several key commanders in both the counter-terrorism and intelligence agencies who were seen as his allies. Shortly after, Bafel declared himself the sole leader of the PUK.
In November of the same year, Lahur was formally expelled from the party, along with several of his supporters, thereby consolidating Bafel’s control over both the party and its financial assets.
Since then, Lahur Sheikh Jangi has pursued his own political path, founding the People’s Front, a new party officially licensed by the Kurdistan Region’s Interior Ministry on Jan. 17, 2024. The movement has attracted several former PUK members loyal to Lahur’s faction.
