Peregraf
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Council of Ministers met today under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, with Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani in attendance, to discuss the recent deadly clashes in Sulaymaniyah’s Lalazar district and broader governance issues.
Prime Minister Barzani opened the session by voicing deep concern over the August 22 Lalazar clashes, which resulted in multiple deaths and injuries. He extended condolences to the families of the victims, wished recovery to the wounded, and stressed that disputes must be resolved through the rule of law rather than violence.
Barzani then invited Deputy Prime Minister Talabani to brief the cabinet on the incident. Talabani said the operation in Lalazar was launched to prevent chaos and thwart destabilization attempts, including four alleged plots to assassinate Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) President Bafel Talabani. He stated that legal procedures are now underway against those detained.
The clashes broke out when PUK-led forces in Sulaymaniyah attempted to execute an arrest warrant at the Lalazar Hotel, the headquarters of opposition leader and former PUK co-president Lahur Sheikh Jangi. His loyalists resisted, sparking hours of fighting that left at least five people dead and dozens injured. Over 160 individuals were detained. Authorities later accused Jangi and Azhi Amin, the former head of the Kurdistan Region Security Council, of conspiring to destabilize Sulaymaniyah and plotting assassinations.
After addressing the security situation, the cabinet turned to financial talks with Baghdad. Ministers reviewed negotiations with the federal government on the classification of Kurdistan’s non-oil revenues and the resumption of oil exports through Iraq’s state marketer SOMO. Acting Natural Resources Minister Kamal Mohammed, Diwan Head Omed Sabah, and Council Secretary Amanj Rahim presented updates on recent meetings in Baghdad.
The Council commended its negotiating team and instructed them to continue efforts in upcoming talks to finalize an agreement on resuming exports. It stressed that disputes over revenue-sharing must not be used to delay the salaries of public employees, who are only now receiving June wages in September. Cabinet members reaffirmed that citizens should not pay the price for political disagreements.