Al-Sulaymaniyah forms compensation committee after Sheikh Jangi raid

Shafaq News – Al-Sulaymaniyah

On Saturday, al-Sulaymaniyah’s administration in the Kurdistan Region formed a compensation committee to address damages from Thursday night’s clashes, which left three people dead and ten wounded.

The violence erupted when security forces stormed the Lalezar Hotel, headquarters of the People’s Front Movement (Bərêy Gel–PFP), which won two seats in the 2024 Kurdistan parliamentary elections, to arrest its Head Lahur Sheikh Jangi, a former co-leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) sidelined by Bafel Talabani in 2021. He and his brothers, Polad and Aso, were detained after hours of fighting that damaged homes, shops, vehicles, and tourist sites across central al-Sulaymaniyah.

Deputy Governor Shaho Osman, who chairs the committee, told Shafaq News that inspections are underway to assess losses and determine compensation or repairs. He pledged the process would be conducted “professionally and transparently,” underscoring the province’s commitment to restoring stability.

Osman noted that the initiative followed directives from PUK Leader Bafel Talabani, who extended condolences to the victims and defended the operation as necessary to uphold the law and remove weapons from residential neighborhoods.