# Five killed, 18 injured after clashes erupt in Iraqi Kurdistan over arrest of Lahur Talabani
Sulaymaniyah, Iraq - At least five people were killed and 18 others wounded in clashes in the city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region after security forces moved to arrest Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani, a prominent Kurdish political figure and nephew of former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani.
The arrest operation, carried out overnight, quickly escalated into fighting between Talabani supporters and local security forces. A regional official said the move was part of an effort to enforce laws banning political parties from maintaining armed wings. He said Talabani had been accused of planning operations against the government and of trying to create chaos.
Burhan Sheikh Rauf, a Kurdish official cited by AP, said three members of the local security forces were killed in the raid. The Popular Front, Talabani’s political movement, said two of its members also died. Supporters of the politician accused the authorities of using heavy weapons in a densely populated area and said civilians were frightened during the exchange of fire.
Dillsoz Zangana, a Popular Front member and parliamentary candidate, described the assault as a regional and internal coup attempt. She said mortars, machine guns, drones and tanks were used in the operation and said families and children living near the Lalazar Hotel were caught in the violence. She also said homes were damaged in the fighting and that several relatives and supporters of Talabani were detained.
The arrests come days after another opposition figure, Shaswar Abdulwahid of the New Generation Movement, was detained in Sulaymaniyah on criminal threat charges. The timing adds to the political tension in a city where rival Kurdish factions have long competed for influence.
Talabani has been a significant figure in Kurdish politics. He once co-led the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, later broke away after an internal power struggle and formed his own party, the Popular Front. The AP report said he was expected to be brought before court on Sunday, after Iraq’s public institutions closed for the Friday-Saturday weekend.
The fighting underscores how political arrests in the Kurdish north can still trigger rapid armed confrontation when party loyalties, security forces and family networks overlap. It also highlights the continuing instability inside Sulaymaniyah, a city that remains an important center of Kurdish political power.
