Peregraf
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has issued a sharp rebuke against the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) media outlets, accusing them of spreading false information and targeting Sulaymaniyah in the aftermath of the deadly Lalazar clashes.
“For three days, the official and unofficial media of the KDP, under the direction and plan of their superiors and with black hearts full of hatred, have been attacking the city of Sulaymaniyah and the PUK,” the party’s media office said in a statement on Sunday. “They are publishing false and misleading news in the name of the PUK’s president and leaders regarding the Lalazar incident and the process of enforcing the law.”
The PUK accused the KDP of attempting to cover up its own failures. “Not just for three days, but for three thousand more days and nights, if you attack the PUK and Sulaymaniyah, you cannot cover up your own and your forces’ failure against Khurshid Harki and the protests in that area,” the statement continued.
“All the people of Kurdistan know the truth—that this attack of yours is to make people forget the burning of a Humvee, abandoning weapons, and your retreat in the face of Khurshid Harkia. But even after three thousand days and nights, the Harkia tribe and the people of Kurdistan will not forget this defeat,” the PUK declared.
The Lalazar Conflict
The exchange of accusations follows last week’s fierce overnight battle at the Lalazar Hotel in western Sulaymaniyah, which served as the headquarters of Lahur Sheikh Jangi, leader of the People’s Front (Baray Gal) and former PUK co-president.
Security forces — including the Asayish, Counter-Terrorism Group, and Commando units — surrounded the hotel early Friday to execute arrest warrants under Article 56 of Iraq’s Penal Code. Instead of surrendering, Sheikh Jangi’s fighters, known as the Scorpion Force, resisted.
For more than three hours, the district was rocked by heavy gunfire and explosions. By the end of the clashes, at least four people were dead — three security personnel and one of Sheikh Jangi’s loyalists. Dozens more were injured, and significant property damage was reported.
Sheikh Jangi, his brothers, and senior aides were ultimately detained.
The PUK’s latest attack on the KDP’s media underscores the growing political rift between Kurdistan’s two dominant parties, raising fears that the fallout from Lalazar could extend far beyond the immediate confrontation.