PUK Power Struggle Escalates as Aras Sheikh Jangi Reports Home Raided, Looted by Commando Force

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Aras Sheikh Jangi, brother of Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani, has declared that a Commando force has stormed his home in the Koya city area and is actively looting its contents. The raid marks a dramatic and personal escalation in the fallout from last week’s violent, pre-dawn military operation in Sulaimani that saw his brothers taken into custody after a deadly four-hour battle.

In an exclusive statement to Kurdistan24, Aras Sheikh Jangi reported, "In the village of Kalkan, a Commando force has entered my house and broken down the door." He provided further details on the ongoing situation, stating, "For about an hour, the Commando forces in the village of Kalkan, in the Koya city area, after raiding my house and breaking the doors and windows of my house, have started loading and looting the belongings inside my home."

This alleged act of retribution follows the violent culmination of a long-simmering power struggle within the PUK, which erupted into open conflict last Thursday and has since sent shockwaves through the political and security landscape of the Kurdistan Region.

The raid on Aras Sheikh Jangi’s property is the latest chapter in a saga that began with a massive mobilization of PUK forces, equipped with tanks and armored vehicles, in Sulaimani after midnight last Thursday.

The operation, officially predicated on an arrest warrant issued by the Sulaimani Court for Lahur Sheikh Jangi and his associates under Article 56 of the amended Iraqi Penal Code, targeted the Lalezar Hotel in the Sarchnar neighborhood, which served as the headquarters for Lahur and his newly formed People’s Front party.

The tense standoff erupted into a fierce firefight shortly after dawn, transforming the area into a conflict zone with reports indicating the use of heavy weapons, including Doshkas and rockets.

While the operation concluded with the surrender and arrest of Lahur Sheikh Jangi and his brother Polad, it left a trail of bloodshed and deep political turmoil.

Official figures confirmed by Dr. Hirsh Saeed, Deputy Director General of Health in Sulaimani, stated that three members of the PUK forces were killed and 19 others were injured. However, this official toll is now being directly challenged by claims of a much higher death count among Sheikh Jangi’s loyalists.

A source who spoke to Kurdistan24 on the condition of anonymity claimed that the published statistics were incorrect, alleging that "at least 30 to 40 people from the ranks of the 'Dupshk' (Scorpion) force, which is affiliated with Lahur Sheikh Jangi, were victims in those incidents." This unconfirmed but significant claim casts a dark shadow over the official narrative and suggests the battle was far deadlier than has been publicly acknowledged.

The unilateral nature of the PUK-led military action has exposed a critical disconnect between partisan decisions and the authority of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

In a pointed statement, the Office of the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region confirmed that the deadly clashes were "carried out by the forces of the PUK" and identified the conflict as an internal party problem. Crucially, the Prime Minister’s Office asserted that the Presidency of the Regional Government was "unaware of the operation until the final moments of the siege and attack."

Despite what it described as "significant efforts to prevent the conflict," the statement lamented that the attack was ultimately carried out and concluded with a firm declaration: "Now, the law must replace partisan decisions and violence, and conflict and unrest must no longer endanger the stability of the Kurdistan Region."

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani had earlier issued a direct call for restraint as the events unfolded, emphasizing that any dispute must be resolved through legal channels.

The methods employed to execute the arrests have drawn severe criticism from human rights organizations. The Independent Human Rights Commission in the Kurdistan Region sharply condemned the operation as an inappropriate "military display" that sowed fear and "great unrest" in Sulaimani.

While supporting the implementation of court decisions, the commission unequivocally rejected the manner of the operation, pointing out the critical procedural flaw that "the implementing force for the arrest warrant is the police, not counter-terrorism forces and other forces."

The rights body deplored the use of "tanks, Doshkas, and heavy weapons" and raised further concerns about the post-arrest media portrayal of the detainees as "captives," underscoring the legal principle that "the accused is innocent until the crime is proven against them by the court."

In the hours and days following the arrests, PUK forces moved swiftly to seize other assets affiliated with the Sheikh Jangi faction, in a campaign that now appears to include the raid on Aras Sheikh Jangi's home. A large force was deployed to storm the headquarters of Zoom TV in the Darwaza City residential project, breaking down the door to enter the already evacuated premises.

The Newroz Football Club, also linked to Lahur Sheikh Jangi, was similarly brought under the control of the PUK. Shaduman Mala Hassan, a member of Lahur Sheikh Jangi’s People’s Front party, described these actions in stark terms. "Those are now spoils... As far as they're concerned, these are the spoils of war," Mala Hassan told Kurdistan24. When asked about seeking legal recourse, he expressed a profound lack of faith in the local judiciary. "By God, the head of the PUK himself says he doesn't believe in the courts of Kurdistan. So why should we have any faith?" he stated. "What you're suggesting is like a lamb going to the butcher to file a complaint."

The events have drawn significant international attention, with the United States, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), and neighboring Türkiye all issuing statements urging restraint.

The violent confrontation marks the most dramatic escalation in the power struggle that began in July 2021, when Bafel Talabani moved to consolidate control over the PUK, ultimately leading to the formal expulsion of his cousin, Lahur Sheikh Jangi.

The subsequent founding of the People’s Front positioned Lahur as a direct political rival—a rivalry that has now erupted into open warfare on the streets of Sulaimani and, as of today, has reached the doorstep of his family’s private homes.