Iraqi Kurdish PUK security force alleges plot to kill party leader

28/8/2025 7:19

A security agency controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region said on Wednesday that they had uncovered a plot to assassinate PUK leader Pavel Talabani, sharing a video that purported to show six guards saying they had received an order to kill him.



The video, broadcast by a PUK-affiliated security service in the Kurdistan region, showed the fighters describing plans to rent an apartment in a high-rise building near the PUK leader's headquarters. Footage included snipers with silencers positioned near a window overlooking the party leader's office.



The guards in the video say they received their orders from Lahur Talabani, a prominent Kurdish politician who is the cousin of Pavel Talabani and leader of the rival People's Front party.



Lahur Talabani's office was not immediately available for comment. A member of the People's Front accused the PUK of using judicial and security institutions to suppress political rivals.