Three members of the security forces in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region were killed and 19 wounded during the arrest of an opposition figure on Friday, security officials said.
Lahur Sheikh Jangi surrendered after barricading himself in a luxury hotel with his guards, said one official who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject.
His brother Bolad was wounded and detained after hours of fighting that saw security forces use heavy artillery to dislodge them.
“Three law enforcement agents were killed, including one belonging to the Asayesh (special operations) branch, one from the anti-terrorist services and another from the ‘Commandoes’,” another official told AFP.
It is the second arrest of an opposition figure in Sulaimaniyah in less than two weeks, following the detention of New Generation leader Shaswar Abdulwahid on August 12.
The security services said later they had arrested all the armed men who confronted their forces, adding in a statement that calm had returned to the city.
Jangi is from the influential Talabani family, which is one of two ruling clans in the northern region. He was sidelined in 2021 amid tensions within the family.
He was formerly a senior leader in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of two historic parties in the Kurdistan region, and held several top security posts.
The party controls Sulaimaniyah, the region’s second-largest city.
– Calls for restraint –
Shortly before dawn, as security forces launched the arrest operation, clashes erupted with dozens of armed men protecting Jangi and his brother, with gunfire heard in the area.
Sulaimaniyah court spokesman, judge Salah Hassan, said an arrest warrant was issued on Thursday for Jangi and several others “for conspiracy aimed at destabilising security and stability”.
In a statement, Jangi’s current party, the People’s Front, condemned the arrest as illegal and accused the security forces of using “drones, tanks and heavy artillery”.
The party appealed to foreign diplomats, regional authorities and the central government in Baghdad to intervene.
In a statement, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq expressed “concern over the ongoing developments in Sulaymaniyah governorate” and called for restraint.
The US mission to Iraq said it was closely monitoring the situation and also called for restraint.
Analyst Adel Bakawan said the arrests of Jangi and Abdulwahid were a way for the PUK to “neutralise its two most important adversaries”.
Despite no longer being in the PUK, Jangi had not “completely severed ties with the supporter base” of the party, the analyst said.
Iraqi Kurdistan portrays itself as a haven of stability, but activists and opponents frequently denounce corruption, arbitrary arrests, and violations of press freedom and the right to protest.
Iraq is scheduled to hold elections in November for the federal parliament, including for seats in Kurdistan.
The prime minister of the Kurdistan region, Masrour Barzani, from the Kurdistan Democratic Party, called on Friday for “all sides to show restraint”.
“Any problem or dispute must be resolved through legal channels,” he said.
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© Agence France-Presse
