At dawn on Friday, August 22, 2025, the security forces in the city of Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan region of Iraq arrested the head of the opposition Lahore People’s Front Party, Sheikh Jenky, and his brother Bulad, after storming the Lallah Zar Hotel in the center of the city, where they were holed up.
The arrest came after hours of violent armed clashes between Sheikh Janki’s protectorates, estimated at dozens, and units of counterterrorism, commandos, and Asayish of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The clashes resulted in the death of at least three people and the injury of twenty others, according to media reports, while the General Directorate of Counter-Terrorism in Sulaymaniyah confirmed the death of one of its members during the operation, noting that the arrest of “outlaws” represents the “first stage of their punishment.”
The Security Investigation Court in Sulaymaniyah had issued an arrest warrant against Lahore Sheikh Jenky based on Article 56 of the Iraqi Penal Code, against the backdrop of cases related to security and public order, according to the Sulaymaniyah Police Director.
Security sources reported that the forces surrounded the “Laleh Zar” hotel on Thursday evening, demanding residents via loudspeakers to stay away from the area, before clashes broke out, which included a heavy exchange of fire and the sounds of explosions.
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For his part, Sheikh Jenki described the accusations against him as “political pretexts,” stressing in a statement that his house is “surrounded with great force and completely surrounded,” adding: “I will not accept encroachment from anyone, and I will remain firm on my position.” He also accused “corrupt parties” of trying to interfere with the work of the government in the border areas, noting that his activity “was very limited” and that he has been residing in the region for four years “to serve the citizens.”
Media sources close to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) reported that the security forces took members of Sheikh Janki’s family to a safe place in the “Dabashan” area, and arrested Ribwar Hamid al-Hajj Ghali, the official of the “Scorpion” forces of Junki, and his other brother Aso Sheikh Janki.
It is noteworthy that Lahore Sheikh Janki, the cousin of the leaders of the Talabani family, was the joint president of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan before his dismissal in July 2021 following internal disputes, after which he established the People’s Front Party, which won two seats in the elections for the Kurdistan Parliament in 2024.
In conjunction with the clashes, Sulaymaniyah witnessed two drone and shooting attacks in the Dabashan area, where the home of Pavel Talabani, President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is located.
Agencies
The article appearedLahore Sheikh Jenky arrested after armed clashes in SulaymaniyahFirst onKurd Online.
Note: This is a machine translation of the original text in Arabic.اقرأ المزيد
