Kurdistan's Lahur Sheikh Jangi arrested in Sulaymaniyah after clashes

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Aug 2025 09:58
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Iraqi forces detained Lahur Sheikh Jangi after a raid in Sulaymaniyah, sparking political tensions as relatives and parties warn against escalation.

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In this April 17, 2019, file photo, Iraqi soldiers in a training mission with Iraqi army soldiers at Taji Base, north of Baghdad, Iraq (AP)

Iraqi security forces have arrested Lahur Sheikh Jangi, leader of the People’s Front party, along with two of his brothers, following a raid on his residence at the Laleh Zar Hotel in Sulaymaniyah, northern Iraq, local media reported.

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Baghdad said that Sheikh Jangi and several family members were taken into custody. Security forces were heavily deployed across Sulaymaniyah’s main entry points after a warrant was issued for his arrest, leading to intense clashes before his detention.

The Sulaymaniyah Security Investigation Court had earlier issued an arrest warrant against Sheikh Jangi under Article 56 of the Iraqi Penal Code, citing charges related to security and public order violations.

Before his arrest, Sheikh Jangi said the move was “politically motivated rather than judicial.” He accused members of what he described as “corrupt parties” of interfering in government affairs in border areas, while authorities, he claimed, had failed to address this interference.

Reactions from relatives, political figures

His party denied receiving any official notice of the arrest warrant. His brother Aras stated that any disputes “should not be settled through force,” assuring residents of Sulaymaniyah that no action would be taken to destabilise the city.

He further insisted that no official court order for the arrest existed and called for disputes between Bafel Talabani and Sheikh Jangi to be resolved through dialogue rather than military confrontation, warning that escalation could spread to other areas.

Kurdish media also reported that leaders within Iraq’s Coordination Framework bloc had contacted Bafel Talabani, urging him to help maintain stability in Sulaymaniyah.

Lahur Sheikh Jangi, born in 1975, is one of the most prominent Kurdish political figures in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region. He previously served as co-president of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) alongside Bafel Talabani, son of late Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

Following internal disputes, Sheikh Jangi left the PUK and founded the People’s Front party, which secured two seats in the 2024 Kurdistan parliamentary elections.