Kurdistan’s Al-Sulaymaniyah recovers after overnight violence
Shafaq News - Al-Sulaymaniyah
Al-Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region slowly returned to normal on Friday after overnight clashes between security forces and armed loyalists of the People’s Front (Bərêy Gel-PFP) Head Lahur Sheikh Jangi, which ended with his arrest along with two of his brothers.
Markets in the city center reopened cautiously in the morning, with shoppers filling the main bazaar despite visible signs of tension.
Abu Aram, who runs a clothing store in the city’s main market, noted that traders had closed early on Thursday over fears that the violence might spread. “Today, we reopened because life must continue. People depend on their daily income,” he explained to Shafaq News.
On Saholaka Street, a family visiting from Baghdad expressed relief at finding the city calm. “We followed the news anxiously last night and considered canceling our visit, but this morning we found Al-Sulaymaniyah welcoming,” Umm Maryam, a woman in her forties, remarked.
Residents also emphasized the city’s resilience. At a café, a young man named Serdar observed that “the city does not surrender, even in its most difficult moments.” A tea vendor, Khalid, further added that people want safety before anything else — ''to live and work free from weapons and conflict.”
The clashes erupted in central Al-Sulaymaniyah when joint units from counter-terrorism forces, commandos, and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Asayish stormed the Lalezar Hotel to enforce arrest warrants issued against Sheikh Jangi under Article 56 of the Iraqi Penal Code. At least three people were killed and around ten wounded.
Sheikh Jangi, once co-leader of the PUK before being sidelined by Bafel Talabani in 2021, later founded the People’s Front, which secured two seats in the 2024 Kurdistan parliamentary elections.
