Shafaq News – Al-Sulaymaniyah (Updated 01:53 a.m.)

A court in al-Sulaymaniyah has issued an arrest warrant for Kurdistan People's Front (PFP) Leader Lahur Sheikh Jangi on charges related to public order and security, a judicial source confirmed to Shafaq News on Thursday.

Sheikh Jangi rejected the decision earlier as “politically motivated,” saying he only became aware of the warrant through media reports. He accused “corrupt parties” of exerting pressure on the government, dismissed the allegations as “pretexts,” and claimed a party official had convened a meeting to push the order forward.

Security forces were heavily deployed near Lalazar, where Sheikh Jangi resides, according to local sources. His brother Araz then cautioned that the presence of armed units could destabilize al-Sulaymaniyah and urged the leadership of what he called the new Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to withdraw its forces.

“Political disputes should not be settled through weapons."

Once co-chair of the PUK, Sheikh Jangi was ousted in 2021 by current leader Bafel Talabani after a power struggle. He later founded the PFP, which secured two seats in the 2024 Regional elections.