Syrian security forces raid Patriotic Union of Kurdistan offices in Damascus

Shafaq News/ Syrian security forces in Damascus have raided properties linked to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), a prominent Iraqi political party whose members include Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid.

The raids targeted the PUK's headquarters and residences tied to former and current Iraqi officials.

Al Arabiya.net quoted an Iraqi diplomatic source saying that Syrian forces under the new administration raided three locations: the PUK headquarters on Baghdad Street, the residence of the party’s representative on Al-Shallal Street, and a property owned by former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in the al-Mazra’a neighborhood.

The incidents were not immediately disclosed, as negotiations were underway with Syrian authorities to recover the seized properties. Despite repeated appeals from PUK staff and the Iraqi embassy in Damascus, the administration has so far refused to lift the property seizures.

Although two PUK properties remain confiscated, no arrests were made during the raids, and guards at the headquarters have continued their duties. Earlier indications suggestedthat keys to two properties might be returned, but this has not occurred.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, founded in Damascus in 1975, is a major Kurdish political force in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. Since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, four of its senior leaders have served as presidents of Iraq, including its founder, Jalal Talabani, and the current president, Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid.

A senior PUK official in Baghdad stressed that the party’s relationship with Syria extends beyond its previous government, maintaining ties with various segments of the Syrian population.