US urges restraint after deadly Al-Sulaymaniyah clashes

Shafaq News – Washington

The US State Department on Friday urged restraint after overnight clashes in Al-Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region left several dead and others wounded.

A US State Department spokesperson, speaking to Shafaq News, condemned any violence that threatens public safety and stability, emphasizing “the importance of maintaining public order.”

The warning came as joint units from counter-terrorism forces, commandos, and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Asayish raided the Lalezar Hotel in central Al-Sulaymaniyah to enforce arrest warrants issued against Lahur Sheikh Jangi under Article 56 of the Iraqi Penal Code. The operation resulted in at least three fatalities and around ten injuries.

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.

For Shafaq News, Mustafa Hashem, Washington, DC.