Fragile Calm Returns to Sulaymaniyah After Arrest of Lahor Sheikh Jangi

ARK Nws.. A cautious calm returned to the streets of Sulaymaniyah on Friday morning following the arrest of Lahor Sheikh Jangi, head of the People’s Front Party, along with dozens of his armed supporters. The clashes, which left several members of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) forces killed or wounded, had erupted the previous night, according to security sources.

Tensions flared late Thursday, August 21, when large security units surrounded the Lalazar Hotel in the Sarchinar district, where Sheikh Jangi had barricaded himself. Security forces, tasked with enforcing a judicial arrest warrant, came under fire after he refused to surrender, triggering intense clashes that saw the use of medium and heavy weapons.

The firefight lasted nearly four hours, setting the hotel ablaze and sending flames and smoke into the night sky. By dawn on Friday, security forces managed to detain Sheikh Jangi and his brother Polad, who was injured in the leg during the standoff.

Judicial authorities in Sulaymaniyah confirmed that the arrest was carried out under a warrant issued by the city’s Investigative Security Court, citing Article 56 of Iraq’s Penal Code No. 111 of 1969, which addresses participation in gatherings aimed at disturbing public security and order.

Shortly before his capture, Sheikh Jangi appeared in a recorded video declaring, “The forces have decided to attack. This may be my final message. I will die standing and will not submit to any oppressive power.”

By Friday morning, the situation in the city had largely stabilised, though security forces maintained a heavy presence around the Lalazar Hotel, continuing search operations. The blaze inside the building triggered explosions in weapons caches belonging to Jangi’s group, causing sporadic blasts throughout the night.

Security forces also detained several of Jangi’s top aides, including Reboard Hamed Haji Ghali, while others reportedly surrendered.

The clashes left 15 PUK fighters injured and resulted in at least two deaths, according to security sources.

In response to the events, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani issued a statement urging all sides to exercise restraint and immediately halt the fighting. He warned that such conflicts endanger the stability of the Kurdistan Region, stressing that disputes must be resolved through legal means and that the youth of Kurdistan must not be sacrificed to political strife.

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