BAGHDAD: A security agency controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region said on Wednesday that they had uncovered a plot to assassinate PUK leader Bafel Talabani, sharing a video that purported to show six guards saying they had received an order to kill him.
The video, broadcast by a PUK-affiliated security service in the Kurdistan region, showed the fighters describing plans to rent an apartment in a high-rise building near the PUK leader’s headquarters. Footage included snipers with silencers positioned near a window overlooking the party leader’s office.
The guards in the video say they received their orders from Lahur Talabani, a prominent Kurdish politician who is the cousin of Bafel Talabani and leader of the rival People’s Front party.
Lahur Talabani’s office was not immediately available for comment. A member of the People’s Front accused the PUK of using judicial and security institutions to suppress political rivals.
Lahur Talabani was arrested on Friday by PUK-controlled forces after they raided a hotel in Sulaymaniya late on Thursday and clashed for four hours with fighters loyal to him. Police and hospital sources said three PUK commandos and two of Lahur Talabani’s fighters were killed in the fighting.
Security officials said more than 160 of Lahur Talabani’s loyalists were detained alongside him.
A court in Sulaymaniya had issued an arrest warrant for Lahur Talabani on charges of attempted murder and destabilizing the city’s security, judicial officials said. Sources familiar with the situation said the arrest was part of a broader struggle for control over Sulaymaniya, a key stronghold of the PUK.
Lahur Talabani was previously joint president of the PUK until a power struggle led to his ousting in 2021.
“Deploying tanks and hundreds of armored vehicles to arrest a party leader is absolutely unrelated to legal or democratic methods,” said the People’s Front representative, speaking on condition of anonymity due to fear of arrest.
The confrontation marks the most serious internal armed conflict among Kurdish factions in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
The escalation has raised concerns among regional officials and analysts that violence could threaten the relative stability long enjoyed by Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, which has largely remained insulated from the broader unrest affecting other parts of the country.
Iraqi Kurdish PUK security force alleges plot to kill party leader
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Iraqi Kurdish PUK security force alleges plot to kill party leader
- The escalation has raised concerns among regional officials and analysts that violence could threaten the relative stability long enjoyed by Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region
Arab Coalition announces ‘limited’ airstrike targeting two ships that smuggled weapons to Yemen
- Coalition urges evacuation of the Port of Mukalla, signaling that a major military operation to force an STC withdrawal could be imminent
- Spokesman says the two ships transported weapons from the UAE port of Fujairah to Mukalla without getting permission from Coalition command
RIYADH: The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen on Tuesday said it conducted a “limited” airstrike targeting two ships that smuggled weapons and other military hardware into Mukalla in southern Yemen.
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Coalition Forces spokesman, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, said that two ships coming from the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates entered the Port of Mukalla in Hadramaut without obtaining official permits from the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition.
“The crews of the two ships disabled the tracking systems of the two ships and unloaded a large quantity of weapons and combat vehicles to support the Southern Transitional Council forces in the eastern governorates of Yemen (Hadramawt, Al-Mahra) with the aim of fueling the conflict. This is a clear violation of imposing a truce and reaching a peaceful solution, as well as a violation of UN Security Council Resolution No. (2216) of 2015 AD,” said the spokesman.
The coalition urged civilians and fishermen to evacuate the Port of Mukalla, signaling that a major military operation to force an STC withdrawal could be imminent.
Al-Maliki said the Coalition Forces acted on a request by Rashad Al-Alimi, the president of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, “to take all necessary military measures to protect civilians in the governorates of Hadramawt and Al-Mahra.”
Al-Alimi, the president of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, warned last week that unilateral actions by the STC were pushing the country toward a dangerous tipping point.
“Given the danger and escalation posed by these weapons, which threaten security and stability, the Coalition Air Forces conducted a limited military operation this morning targeting weapons and combat vehicles unloaded from the two ships at the port of Al-Mukalla. This was done after documenting the unloading, and the military operation was carried out in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules, ensuring no collateral damage occurred,” spokesman Al-Maliki said on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Analysis: The risks of carving up Yemen
He affirmed the Coalition’s "continued commitment to de-escalation and enforcing calm in the governorates of Hadramawt and Al-Mahra, and to prevent any military support from any country to any Yemeni faction without coordination with the legitimate Yemeni government and the Coalition. This is aimed at ensuring the success of the Kingdom and the Coalition’s efforts to achieve security and stability and prevent the conflict from spreading.”
Disregarding previous agreements with the Coalition, the group calling itself Southern Transitional Council, or STC, launched a sweeping military campaign early in December, seizing the governorates of Hadramaut along the Saudi border and the eastern governorate of Al-Mahra in Yemen’s border with Oman.
The UAE-backed STC forces captured the city of Seiyun, including its international airport and the presidential palace. They also took control of the strategic PetroMasila oilfields, which account for a massive portion of Yemen’s remaining oil wealth.
This prompted Saudi Arabia to issue a firm demand for the STC to withdraw and hand over the seized areas to the National Shield Forces, a Saudi-backed unit.
The coalition warned that any military movements undermining de-escalation efforts would be dealt with immediately to protect civilians, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
On Dec. 26, the UAE issued a statement welcoming Saudi Arabia’s efforts to support security and stability in Yemen.
The statement carried by state news agency WAM praised Saudi Arabia’s constructive role in advancing the interests of the Yemeni people and supporting their legitimate aspirations for stability and prosperity.
