Northern Iraq's Kurdish region on edge after arrest of local opposition leader

The sudden reason for the arrest of Lahur Talabany is not clear but it casts a potential shadow over the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

A gun battle took place in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq’s Sulimaniyeh overnight between Thursday and Friday as security forces sought to arrest an opposition party leader.

The raid by the security forces targeted Lahur Talabany, who had previously been a senior leader within the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party. However, he was pushed out in 2021 and has recently led a party called the People’s Front. The arrest of Talabany in the wake of the clashes and members of his party has raised eyebrows across Iraq with calls for an end to the violence.

Shadow looms over Patriotic Union of Kurdistan

The sudden reason for the arrest of Lahur Talabany is not clear but it casts a potential shadow over the PUK and Sulimaniyeh.

The PUK is the second largest Kurdish party in the Kurdistan region. It is strongest in Sulimaniyeh, sometimes known as “Suli,” a city near the Iranian border. The other large Kurdish party, the KDP, is strongest in Erbil which is West of Suli. In general the two parties are led by key members of two families, the Barzanis in the KDP and the Talibanys in the PUK.

“On Thursday, a court issued an arrest warrant for Talabany. Soon after news of the warrant broke, images of military vehicles patrolling city streets were shared on social media and by evening, security forces had surrounded Lalezar Hotel in the west of the city, home to Talabany’s party headquarters,” Rudaw media noted on Friday. “Aras Sheikh Jangi, brother of Lahur Talabany, predicted that blood would be shed that night,” the report noted.

Around 400 or 500 armed men had holed up with Lahur at his headquarters. The security forces of the PUK-led region were led by the Counter-Terrorism Group. Talabany is a former leader of the CTG.

The report noted that “Talabany, also known as Lahur Sheikh Jangi, was ousted in 2021 as co-chair of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) by his cousins Bafel and Qubad Talabani. He later founded the opposition party Baray Gal. The PUK is the ruling party in Sulaimani.” The autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, who is also deputy leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), called for calm. “I am working with all parties to end these tensions and prevent bloodshed and violence,” he said in a statement.

Later, the office of president of the KRG, Nechirvan Barzani, also put out a statement. "Following the unfortunate incident early this morning in Sulimaniyeh, which regrettably resulted in a number of casualties, we emphasize the rule of law and the protection of the city's security and peace, as well as safeguarding the lives and property of citizens. It is necessary that all disputes and conflicts be resolved through law and without violence.”

In the wake of the battle, as the smoke cleared on Friday, it became clear several people had been killed, including a bodyguard affiliated with Lahur and his brothers; as well as members of the security forces. One of those killed was named as Ari Sheikh Suad Talabany, a member of the Counter-Terrorism Group. The Iraqi government has said it also regrets the violence in northern Iraq.

Internal Kurdish fighting weakens the region's stance

US officials, members of the UN and others in Iraq are concerned. The officials in Erbil are concerned that the clashes in Suli could harm the entire region. This is because internal Kurdish fighting weakens the region’s stance in relation to Baghdad. Similar intrigue, for instance, caused the PUK to fold in the face of threats to Kirkuk by the federal government in 2017. The result was that Peshmerga of the KDP and PUK both withdrew from the city rapidly as the Iraqi army advanced. At the time Bafel had emerged as a leader of the PUK. For many years the leader of the PUK was Jalal Talabany, known locally as Mam Jalal. He died in October 2017 leading to power struggles within the party.

In the wake of the battle against Lahur and his supporters a number of his condidants were arrested. These reportedly included his two brothers Aso and Polad Sheikh Jangi as well as others. A channel linked to Lahur, called Zoom, was also raided after the clashes. There are concerns about the aftermath of the clashes in Suli. "Bafel went too far and no one will believe his story for arresting Lahur," a senior Iraqi Kurdish government advisor told Al-Monitor.

Lahur was once a rising star in Kurdish politics. Back in 2016 a profile at the Insight International noted his key role in countering terrorism over the years. It noted how he had played a role in confronting Ansar al-Islam, an extremist group in the early 2000s. Later he rose to play a key role in the war on ISIS as the chief intelligence official in Suli.

The report noted that “[Lahur] Talabani co-founded the CTG in late 2002 with his cousin, Bafel Talabani - has now evolved into a sophisticated anti-terror agency.” His rise and fall from playing a key role against terrorism from the 2000s through the war on ISIS, to being arrest by the same counter-terrorism forces he once led, is a reversal of fortune for the Kurdish leader.