Peregraf - Tensions briefly escalated on Monday after officials and guards from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) were prevented from entering Sulaymaniyah at the Koya checkpoint, triggering retaliatory measures against Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) officials at checkpoints leading into Erbil.
According to Peregraf’s follow-up, after the incident at Koya, security forces at the Degala checkpoint barred Fahmi Burhan, head of the Board of Kurdistan Regions Outside the Region’s Administration—who holds ministerial rank—and a PUK Politburo member from entering Erbil while traveling from Sulaymaniyah. They were turned back. Separately, at the Smaquli checkpoint, Luqman Wardi, a member of the PUK leadership, was also prevented from entering Erbil and ordered to return.
In a statement, the spokesperson for the General Directorate of Asayish in Erbil said that earlier on Monday, forces affiliated with the Asayish at the Koya border checkpoint had stopped several KDP officials and their guards from traveling to Sulaymaniyah, citing the need for prior coordination. The spokesperson described the move as surprising, noting that movement across the Kurdistan Region is generally free for citizens and that the guards involved possessed valid gun permits.
The Asayish spokesperson added that, in response, security procedures were tightened and movement was temporarily restricted at several checkpoints. However, after clarification that the incident was a mistake and not intentional, conditions returned to normal. The statement stressed the need to prevent a recurrence of such incidents and called for accountability for those responsible.
The developments come on the eve of an expected meeting between the KDP and PUK, aimed at reviving stalled talks to form the long-delayed Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet. The renewed dialogue takes place amid growing warnings that continued political division is weakening the Kurdistan Region’s position in Baghdad.