ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - People’s Front (Baray Gal) leader Lahur Talabany was arrested Friday morning after a night of dramatic clashes that had tanks rolling through the streets of Sulaimani. This is a detailed account of how events unfolded.
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.
Aras Sheikh Jangi, brother of Lahur Talabany, predicted that blood would be shed that night.
“There are at least 400 to 500 people, as far as I am aware. They are all armed, they are trained and have good weapons and ammo,” he warned, adding, “there will be deaths on both sides.”
In the early hours of the morning, Talabany released a video message.
“I am on the rooftop. These friends have decided to attack. This may be my last message to the people of the Kurdistan Region. We are standing and will die standing,” he said, his face dark against the night sky.
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) August 22, 2025
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.
Clashes broke out around 3 am and lasted nearly four hours. Medium and heavy weaponry were used and armored vehicles flooded the streets. Rounds streaked through the night toward the Lalezar Hotel.
Reports also emerged of drones crashing in Dabashan, the residence and headquarters of the PUK leadership, about seven kilometers west of the hotel. Video footage submitted to Rudaw showed security forces firing into the sky to shoot down drones.
Kurdistan Region 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.
“The youth of this country should not be sacrificed. Any problem and dispute needs to be resolved through the law,” he added.
Sulaimani Governor Haval Abubakir also called for restraint, saying, “Fighting and confrontation will not solve any problem. We ask all parties to help in ending this unwanted situation.”
Talabany was arrested shortly after dawn.
Video footage seen by Rudaw showed security forces surrounding Talabany and escorting him away. Celebratory gunfire can be heard in the background. Security forces were also seen entering the Lalezar Hotel, where explosions could still be heard.
The Sulaimani-based Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG) confirmed that one of its members, Ari Sheikh Suwad Talabani, was killed.
“We assure that the blood of martyr Ari was not shed in vain and those who are outside the law will receive the harshest punishment, and their arrest was only the first stage of their punishment,” the CTG said in a statement.
Talabany used to command the CTG until he was removed from the post before being ousted from the PUK.
Sulaimani security forces and PUK-affiliated media reported two others were killed, while at least ten others were injured, according to information obtained by Rudaw.
Dozens of armed personnel in military uniforms were arrested at the scene, as seen in a photograph published by PUK media. Rudaw learned that 77 armed individuals had been inside the hotel.
Talabany’s brothers Polad and Aso Sheikh Jangi were also detained, according to a security source. Polad was injured, the source added.
The extent of the damage has become evident as the dust settled at Lalezar Hotel. Vehicles were destroyed and buildings were damaged. There is rubble and broken glass around and inside the hotel.
Several people living near the hotel said their property was damaged by stray munitions and the shockwaves of explosions, telling Rudaw’s Peshawa Bakhtiyar that they had not been instructed to evacuate, raising questions about the security forces’ concern for public safety. They have asked for compensation.
Talabany is facing charges under Article 56 of the Iraqi penal code that pertains to involvement in a criminal conspiracy that is “considered to be an agreement between two or more people to commit a felony or misdemeanor such as theft, fraud or forgery.”
Salah Hassan, spokesperson for Sulaimani’s court, said Talabany could face no less than seven years in prison if convicted.
“The arrest warrant for Lahur Sheikh Jangi was issued by the Asayish investigation court, and the date of the warrant's issuance was today, not earlier, ” he told Rudaw’s Arez Khalid on Thursday.
Aras Sheikh Jangi told Rudaw that the charges against his brother are unclear.
“This is not a legal matter. It is between these three people,” he said, referring to PUK leader Bafel Talabani, his brother Qubad Talabani who is also Kurdistan Region deputy prime minister, and Lahur Talabany.
“There is no law in Sulaimani and in Erbil there is none either,” he said.
“Do not talk to me about judges and courts. I know them well… I used to order them what to do,” he added, claiming the “courts are not independent in Kurdistan [Region], especially in Sulaimani. And in Erbil, there is no independence.”
It is unclear if Jangi held a formal government position, but he was previously involved with Sulaimani’s internal security apparatus.
