ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - An employee of the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga ministry on Saturday claimed that he had been physically assaulted by a group of assailants near the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) politburo in Erbil the night before. The ministry said they were investigating the incident, without blaming any parties for the attack.

Miran Bakir, a press officer at the Ministry of Peshmerga, said in a Facebook post on Saturday that a group of “thugs and savages” had attacked him near the PUK politburo at around midnight.

“They put a black sack over my head and, after cuffing me, they kicked and punched me for three hours. They took all my belongings in the car and then said: We made a mistake!” wrote Bakir on Facebook.

In a statement later in the day, the Peshmerga ministry said they have formed an investigative committee to probe the “unfortunate” incident that befell their employee. The ministry claimed that while Bakir is still employed by the ministry, he is no longer the press secretary.

The statement did not accuse any parties of the attack.

Bakir denied the accuracy of the ministry statement, telling The New Region that he is still the ministry’s press secretary, but has suspended his work for a while due to “party conflict.”

The Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs is headed by Minister Shoresh Ismail, a senior PUK member.

The PUK politburo also issued a statement on the incident, claiming that Bakir had “insulted a car” near the politburo headquarters at around 12:30am, “under the influence of alcohol,” and was detained after allegedly harassing the guards in front of the building. The party said that Bakir was taken to the specialized officer’s room and then released under 20 minutes, claiming that they have video evidence of the entire incident.

“Let’s assume that I was even unconscious, does that mean a sack must be put over my head? Or beat up by three to four vehicles and dozens of armed men? Or handcuffed?” Bakir wrote on Facebook in response, denying the allegations of intoxication, and stating that the PUK statement was “more painful than the beating.”

Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw told The New Region earlier on Saturday that they have not confirmed if the attackers had been acting on behalf of the PUK, but stressed that no party is allowed to carry out such an act in the Kurdish capital, and that they will pursue legal action against the parties responsible once the investigations are completed.