Security forces aligned with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan stormed the Lalazar Hotel in the city of Sulaymaniyah early Friday, detaining opposition leader Lahur Sheikh Jangi—also known as Lahur Talabani—after several hours of sustained gunfire. Local media said the confrontation left at least three people dead and about 20 wounded before fighters loyal to Sheikh Jangi laid down their arms and exited the hotel. Video and eyewitness accounts described heavy automatic-weapon fire around the building, which PUK authorities later declared under their control. Sheikh Jangi, a former PUK intelligence chief and co-chair who fell out with the party’s current leadership, has accused Kurdistan Regional Government authorities of mounting a politically motivated campaign against him. His arrest comes a day after an Erbil court added four years and five months to the sentence of investigative journalist Sherwan Sherwani, a decision condemned by Amnesty International and Kurdish rights advocates. Together, the incidents have amplified concerns about an escalating crackdown on dissent in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.