QALADZE, Kurdistan Region - A young protester died after the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s headquarters were torched Saturday during deadly protests in the Sulaimani Province town of Qaladze. The 13-year-old boy died in the hospital from injuries sustained when the building was set on fire, Qaladze hospital personnel Othman Muhamad told Rudaw. Three people were shot dead yesterday during demonstrations in Qaladze, while dozens more were wounded. The semiautonomous Kurdish enclave in northern Iraq has been erupting in protests for the past week as anger over lack of government wages, feuding political parties and economic instability has reached a boiling point. Clashes between demonstrators and police continue in the town of Said Sadiq and Kalar in the Sulaimani. Protesters torched the KDP's building in Kalar on Saturday. At least nine people, including five policemen, were wounded on Thursday during protests sparked by the government’s delayed salaries in Sulaimani, the city’s mayor told Rudaw. Police used tear gas during a mass demonstration in Sarra Square in the city on Saturday when hundreds of protesters gathered again to demand three months of unpaid salaries and an end to the current political stalemate that has left the KRG without an official president since August. Major political parties in Kurdistan have condemned the violence and called on citizens and party members for peace.
ECONOMY26-06-2026Kurdistan trade topped $173 billion in seven years, customs revenue reached $6.8 billion
