Tensions flared between supporters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Monday night in Erbil (Hewlêr), Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), following a campaign speech by PUK Secretary General Bafel Talabani. The speech, delivered in Bahdinan (Badinan), Duhok (Dihok)—a region under KDP control—ignited unrest when Talabani accused the KDP of selling Kurdish land to Turkey.
Footage of the incident shows gunfire near the residence of PUK Deputy Kosrat Rasul Ali, in Erbil’s Zaniari neighbourhood. Ali, a key figure in the Kurdistan National Front and a former Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), has long held influence in Erbil, particularly since his leadership of the PUK in the city in 1991.
Medya News sources confirmed that local media outlets in Iraqi Kurdistan avoided covering the clashes, aiming to prevent further escalation of electoral tensions. This follows Talabani’s provocative remarks in Duhok, where he accused the KDP of acting as a “mercenary” for Turkey and blocking Kurdish unity in Kurdish-majority regions of Turkey (Bakur) and North and East Syria (Rojava).
During the speech, Talabani declared that Erbil will be “green again”, signalling the PUK’s ambition to regain power and resist any electoral fraud. Observers in the KRI fear that further violence could exacerbate the PUK-KDP rivalry, threatening the region’s stability as the parliamentary elections approach.
