Public anger in Sulaymaniyah, in the Kurdistan Region, has significantly increased after security forces (commando units) affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan recently killed a vegetable vendor, citizen Ari Jaiji, in the Rabrin neighborhood west of Sulaymaniyah. Witnesses described the scene as "harsh and lacking in mercy," stating that the security personnel shot the victim directly in the head with his personal firearm.
As is often the case in these types of incidents, public outrage has spilled into the political sphere, resulting in mutual accusations among political factions, seemingly in an effort to leverage early election campaigns to win over citizens, just about three months before the regional parliamentary elections scheduled for October 20.
### Electoral Rivalry
In the latest wave of reciprocal criticisms among relatives from the family of the late Jalal Talabani, the founder of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Lahor Sheikh Jangi launched a scathing attack on his cousin, Pashw Talabani, the head of the Patriotic Union. He held Pashw responsible for the ongoing security disturbances in Sulaymaniyah.
Sheikh Jangi stated in press remarks, "Pashw Talabani is primarily responsible for the breaches and security chaos in Sulaymaniyah, and we cannot remain silent about the phenomenon of citizens being killed in cold blood by members of security devices affiliated with the Patriotic Union." He added that "members of the commando and counter-terrorism units affiliated with the Patriotic Union are storming the city, arresting citizens, and killing them while Pashw Talabani expresses his support for and solidarity with them."
He stressed that "the chaos occurring in Sulaymaniyah has no equal in the world, especially since the law does not permit military forces to spread throughout city centers and to fire randomly; only security and police forces are allowed in urban areas."
Sheikh Jangi, who previously shared leadership of the Patriotic Union with his cousin, is planning to engage in the upcoming electoral experience through the People’s Front he leads, positioning himself in intense competition against his cousin and his party.
In response, while the Patriotic Union did not release a lengthy statement addressing Sheikh Jangi's accusations, a party official told Asharq Al-Awsat that the party "refrains from responding to such baseless accusations driven by electoral motives, made by a person expelled from the party." This refers to Sheikh Jangi's exit from the Patriotic Union around two years ago after a power struggle with Pashw Talabani.
Talabani issued a statement regarding the killing on Saturday, describing Ari's death as a "serious crime" and calling for the offenders to be brought to justice swiftly to prevent anyone from daring to endanger people's lives. He affirmed that "everyone who violates the law, regardless of rank or position, or causes chaos and supports any crime, will be brought to justice" and that "there will be no leniency for those who jeopardize the lives and stability of our people, with legal actions against them."
Colonel Salam Abdul Khaleq, the official spokesperson for the Asayish of the Kurdistan Region, stated in remarks to Kurdish media that "the recent incident did not occur during official working hours, nor in a government place, and the accused have been arrested under Article 406 of the Iraqi Penal Code, addressing murder unrelated to security forces and resulting from a social dispute between two individuals."
Human rights organizations and political groups in Sulaymaniyah expressed their concern on Monday about the incident of security personnel killing civilians while carrying out their duties or during confrontations occurring outside working hours.
The "Independent Human Rights Commission in Kurdistan" stated in a statement, "In recent days, a security personnel killed a citizen in Sulaymaniyah, marking the second incident where a member of the same security force assisted in killing a citizen with government-issued weapons, raising questions."
The commission noted that "what is worrisome, and sad in this case, is that members of the security forces were involved in some of these incidents and are accused of them, which is a bad indicator; the primary duty of security forces is to protect citizens. Fortunately, the accused were arrested promptly in both incidents."
The commission viewed "public feelings of concern stemming from firearms still being in the hands of civilians, which are used to resolve problems and have resulted in instances of killings and shootings, causing disturbances in some locations and regions."
Furthermore, the New Generation Bloc, which holds 8 seats in the federal parliament and is a primary rival of the Patriotic Union in Sulaymaniyah, issued a statement saying, "The main reason for the repeated killings in Sulaymaniyah is the family of (Mamd) Jalal Talabani, as they have turned the city into a city of fear."
