Bafel Talabani says shakeup was to root out abuse of PUK institutions

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Bafel Talabani said a shakeup in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) was to end abuse of party positions for personal gain, including “smuggling, extortion, threats, and spying.”

“We decided to make changes from the roots in all those security and party institutions that had been used by certain people for personal gains and against the interest of our nation and our PUK for years,” Bafel Talabani said in a Facebook post. 

He added that the institutions had been prevented from carrying out their duties, and “smuggling, extortion, threats, and spying” had become normalized within the party.

Bafel Talabani this week appears to have forced out his co-president and cousin, Lahur Talabany, and taken over leadership of the party. He and his brother, Qubad Talabani, changed the heads of the PUK’s intelligence agency and counter-terrorism units, replacing officials who were close to Lahur Talabany with others loyal to Bafel Talabani. Bafel Talabani also changed his social media bios to “president” of the PUK, and official party media are now referring to Lahur Talabany as “former co-president.”

In his Facebook post, his first public statement on these events, Bafel Talabani shared photos of him visiting the grave of his father, Jalal Talabani, the PUK’s beloved founder. 

“I emphasize that the PUK’s future will be brighter and no one will dare to put spies inside Mam Jalal’s house, even among the people and official institutions such acts will not be allowed,” he said.

Just hours earlier, official PUK media said that a spy had been arrested in the party’s Sulaimani headquarters. 

“A spy was arrested in Mam Jalal’s house in Dabashan and has confessed to working for the former PUK co-chair,” official media for the party reported, referring to Lahur Talabany and citing senior sources.

The report said the alleged spy was being used with the intention of targeting important PUK interests. Dabashan hill is where the main PUK headquarters are located in Sulaimani and was the residence of Jalal Talabani.

With Lahur Talabany’s apparent ouster, security forces also raided the offices of a TV channel affiliated with him, iPLUS TV. The channel had not gone on air yet, but was scheduled to start broadcasting soon. Its studio has been handed over to Gali Kurdistan TV, an official PUK channel, and iPLUS offices was given to PUK media.


Reporting by Khazan Jangiz and Dilan Sirwan

Updated at 3:16 pm