ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Details of an operation by Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)-affiliated forces to arrest opposition leader Lahur Sheikh Jangi emerged on Saturday, with varying reports suggesting that dozens of Jangi’s fighters were killed in the operation.

Forces affiliated with the PUK launched an operation on Thursday night to arrest the head of the People’s Front opposition party and former PUK co-chair Lahur Sheikh Jangi, with a standoff at Jangi’s residence in the Lalezar Hotel escalating into an armed conflict between the two forces in the early hours of Friday, ultimately leading to Jangi’s arrest.

Jangi’s brother, Aras Sheikh Jangi, told The New Region on Saturday that Lahur’s forces, otherwise known as the Scorpion forces, suffered between 12 to 25 casualties as a result of the conflict, with another source close to the People’s Front leader saying that the death toll on Jangi’s side exceeded 20, while other sources suggested that the number might even be higher than 30 casualties. In contrast, official numbers put the death toll for the PUK-affiliated forces at three.

The New Region understands that there was a pronounced mismatch in the number of the forces. According to information acquired by The New Region, Jangi’s forces, consisting of some 400 fighters, were vastly outnumbered by PUK-affiliated forces, who stormed the opposition leader’s residence with over 10,000 men.

The New Region has learned that Lahur Sheikh Jangi’s sister, Awat Sheikh Jangi, played a key role in the resolution of the conflict, after she convinced her two brothers, Lahur and Polat Sheikh Jangi, to surrender themselves to the forces outside the building, fearing her brothers’ dying after their forces were decimated.

Awat reportedly walked out, urging the forces not to shoot and demanding an audience with Wahab Halabjayi, the PUK’s counterterrorism chief. Upon meeting with the top PUK official, Awat promised Halabjayi that her brothers will surrender themselves if he guarantees their safety and that they will not suffer insults. Halabjayi accepted the proposal, and the People’s Front leader, along with his brother, was then taken away. The PUK counterterrorism chief was previously a close affiliate of Lahur Sheikh Jangi, with the pair working together in PUK’s counterterrorism forces’ command center.

The skirmish that saw Sulaimani’s skies be illuminated with fire prompted reactions from both regional and international actors, with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani being first to address the matter early Friday, saying that the armed conflict impacts the stability of the Region, and calling on all sides to stand down and allow for legal procedures away from bloodshed.

The US Mission to Iraq said they are “closely monitoring” the situation in Sulaimani. “We oppose any violence that threatens public safety and stability and urge all parties to show restraint,” they said.

The UN mission to Iraq (UNAMI), meanwhile, called on all parties to “exercise restraint, refrain from any actions that could endanger the lives of civilians, respect human rights, and ensure a fair and impartial judicial process in line with the provisions of the Constitution.”

Similarly, the UK Consulate in Erbil said they were “concerned by the loss of life in Sulaimani last night.”

Jangi’s arrest came just over a week after the head of the New Generation opposition movement Shalwar Abdulwahid was arrested in Sulaimani.