"In the region, if a person is not armed, no one takes him into account." - Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani, Leader of the People’s Front
The power struggle to control what is now called Iraqi Kurdistan can be traced back to the 1916 Sykes-Picot agreement, and in recent years has escalated due to external and internal pressure and influences. In the 2017 referendum, 93 percent of Kurds voted for independence from Iraq, but the powers in Baghdad rejected the result.
Iraqi Kurdistan by itself, without the Kurdish regions in Syria, Iran, and Turkey, is an oil-rich and strategically important location. It is a major logistical and information crossroads and a gateway for the region. It’s very much a sunny place, that’s full of very shady people.
There is also the case of a missing American, Brian Wilson, a US Air Force veteran from Ohio who has been working with Kurdish groups since 2014. Brian first worked in Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan) with the YPG in their fight against the Islamic State and later moved on to work with a Peshmerga-affiliated group in Sulaymaniyah.
On August 22, Brian was arrested with other members of his group after PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) forces and others attacked the Lalezar (Lalazar) Hotel in Sulaymaniyah to arrest the People’s Front leader Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani.
The attack on the Lalezar Hotel was the climax of a power feud between two Kurdish cousins who grew up in the United Kingdom: Bafl Jalal Talabani, the current president of the PUK, and Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani.
Bafel Jalal Talabani ordered the operation against the Lalazar Hotel, where Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani was residing alongside loyal personnel. Bafel Jalal Talabani accused Lahur of plotting to assassinate him with the help of the former head of the Zanyari Intelligence Directorate, Aji Amin, or to forcibly remove him as leader of the PUK.
Back in 2021, Bafel accused Lahur of a plot to poison him. Bafel Talabani then ousted several people from key positions, including the heads of the PUK-affiliated intelligence agency and the party’s counter-terrorism unit. The removed individuals were mainly the family members of those close to Lahur.
Wilson was working as a consultant with a group called the “Scorpion" force that was affiliated with Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani. The “Scorpion" force was led by Rebwar Hamid Haji Ghali, a veteran Peshmerga officer who had worked with US special forces during the campaign against Ansar al-Islam to dismantle the Islamic Emirate of Kurdistan in 2001/2003. Rebwar Hamid was also arrested at the Lalezar Hotel with over 400 others loyal to Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani.
In addition to the over 400 people that were arrested, who were reportedly transferred to the Asayish headquarters in Sulaymaniyah, an institution that operates under PUK authority rather than national Iraqi command, there were officially five people reported killed.
Three of those killed were PUK forces, and the two others were loyal to Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani. Unofficial reports put the number of people killed between 40 to 50, with numerous reports of executions.
Despite the short duration of the fighting, the aftermath raised serious concerns. Journalists and human rights observers reported an unusually high number of people “Missing in Action”. For an urban operation inside a hotel, the disappearance of dozens of people is abnormal and alarming. The families of detainees reported a lack of access, absence of any legal representation, and no clear information regarding the fate of those held.
The attack on the Lalezar hotel in the early hours of the morning of August 22 was conducted by PUK Asayish, commando, and Counter Terrorism Group forces supported with armed drones and in excess of 20 armored vehicles and tanks. The PUK cordon and assault forces numbered in the thousands.
Iranian-backed militia reportedly involved in attack
In addition to PUK forces, it’s reported that fighters affiliated with the Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi militias and units linked to a US-sanctioned and Iranian-connected gentleman called Rayan al-Kildani.
Rayan al-Kildani, in recent times, has become a close confidant of Bafel Talabani. In 2019, the United States imposition of sanctions on al-Kildani on the basis of the Magnitsky Act, acknowledging his ties to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.
Al-Kildani is also a close associate of Qais al-Khazali, the founder and secretary-general of the Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), an Iraqi Shia paramilitary organization and political party. In January 2020, the US Department of State announced its intent to designate AAH a terrorist organization along with two of its leaders, Qais al-Khazali and his brother Laith al-Khazali, who were named Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
The participation of Iranian-linked forces suggests there was external oversight of the operation and also a lack of internal trust.
A lot of details about Bafel Talabani’s attack on the Lalezar hotel and the aftermath have not been made public. Sources that were in contact with those within the hotel before the attack have stated the attack happened after Rebwar Hamid’s “Scorpion” force and other armed personnel loyal to Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani had agreed to put down their arms, and for negotiations to begin.
This was not the first time there had been confrontations between Bafl Jalal Talabani and his cousin Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani, and previously, the peace was always kept, and any differences were ironed out after negotiations. So, what influenced Bafl Jalal Talabani to attack this time?
The power play
As it was stated at the beginning of this article, Iraqi Kurdistan is a logistical and information crossroads and a gateway for the region. Overall, the Kurdish people have been loyal to the United States throughout their military operations within Iraq, Syria, and the region. The United States Military still maintains a large presence within Iraqi Kurdistan. This presence is too close for comfort for the United States's main adversary in the area, Iran.
Major shifts and internal power struggles within the PUK began in 2021 after Bafel Jalal Talabani accused Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani of a plot to poison him. At the time, the party was formally co-led by Bafel, with Lahur holding substantial authority over security and intelligence institutions.
It was widely reported that Bafel Talabani had executed a planned internal coup within the party. The move was swift and effective, using the poison plot as the cover story.
Within days, Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani was removed from all security-related positions, and Bafel Talabani consolidated control over the PUK’s armed, intelligence, and internal security bodies. From that point onward, all major intelligence and counterterrorism departments operating under PUK authority reported directly to Bafel Talabani.
Following Bafel’s takeover, a gentleman called Aji Amin was appointed head of the Zanyari Intelligence Directorate, a body long described by local media as one of the most powerful intelligence agencies in Kurdistan. It did not take long for there to be tension between Bafel Talabani and Amin, driven by both internal rivalries and external pressure.
External pressure was reportedly due to Iran’s influence within parts of the PUK leadership. Iranian officials reportedly viewed Aji Amin with suspicion, alleging that he maintained connections with Western and Israeli actors. By mid-2022, these tensions became unsustainable, and Aji Amin left Sulaymaniyah as an attempt to avoid direct confrontation and possible arrest.
During this period, several violent incidents further escalated the situation. One of the most serious was the car bombing in Erbil that killed Colonel Hawkar Jaff, a known associate of Amin and Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani. Jaff was a former colonel in the PUK Counter-Terrorism Group before he was sacked from his position in 2021. On October 7, 2022, he was killed in Erbil after a bomb detonated in his vehicle.
Shortly after the assassination of Jaff, the Erbil judiciary issued a death sentence (in absentia) against the alleged mastermind of the killing, a Mr. Wahab Halabjay, who happens to be the present head of the PUK Counter-Terrorism Group. Despite this, Halabjay continues to work and live freely in PUK-controlled Sulaymaniyah.
Following the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, regional dynamics shifted noticeably. Iran has intensified its efforts to secure its strategic influence within neighboring areas, especially within Iraqi Kurdistan, where Kurdish anti-Iranian groups are located.
In PUK-controlled territory, this reportedly translated into a campaign to eliminate or neutralize individuals considered unreliable, independent, or closely aligned with the United States or Israel. It’s within this climate that the events at Lalazar Hotel unfolded.
Multiple sources confirm that Wilson was detained alongside Lahur Sheikh Jangi’s personnel during the operation and subsequently disappeared into the same detention system.
Since his arrest, no formal charges have been publicly announced, no court proceedings have been disclosed, no official explanation has been given regarding his legal status, no verified proof of life has been released, and his whereabouts and physical condition remain unknown.