SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region—On two separate occasions on Saturday night a group of unidentified gunmen opened fire on the Sulaimani bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), said Halo Ahmed Kurda, head of the bureau.
“The attackers were driving Land Cruiser SUVs and were waving green flags,” Kurda told Rudaw. “But we do not know who they were.”
According to Rudaw correspondent in Sulaimani two people were wounded in the shootings.
“Despite insults and physical assault, the guards of the premises had restrained themselves and avoided using their weapons,” said Kurda.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani described the incident as “an attempt to destabilize Kurdistan’s democratic atmosphere.”
“We do not see the incident as the plan of any political group and we assure everyone that the situation is completely under control,” said Barzani.
The prime minister said that the police and security forces have been assigned to investigate the shooting.
“I have faith in the security forces in Sulaimani to get conclusive results and maintain the security of the beloved people of Sulaimani,” he said.
The prime minister urged all parties, including the KDP to stay calm and trust the government and its institutions.
Lahur Sheikh Jangi, chief of the Anti-terror force in Sulaimani and a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), condemned the attack, saying, “Whoever is behind the shooting wants to deteriorate the relations between the parties”
“As the intelligence and defense unit and as the PUK we are responsible for security in Sulaimani, therefore such actions are against our image and we vehemently condemn it,” he said.
According to Sheikh Jangi, the SUVs had driven off into the city’s interior and that the security forces will continue their search for the culprits.
For his part, Latif Sheikh Omar, head of PUK’s first bureau in Sulaimani said, “We are against this kind of act. We condemn it and hope that it is doesn’t get overblown.”
Sheikh Omar said that the PUK is responsible for the city’s security and that any action that would destabilize the calm isn’t in their interest.
Meanwhile, he praised the goodwill shown by KDP leaders and Prime Minister Barzani who didn’t blame the incident on the PUK.
The KDP bureau chief in Sulaimani said that he and his colleagues had been taken by surprise and that the building was targeted from the outside.
