Opposition demands immediate withdrawal of militias from the streets of Sulaymani‏

Written on February 20, 2012 by Editor in KRG, Sulaymani

News and Comment by The Kurdistan Tribune:

Militiamen on the streets of Sulaymani

There is an ugly situation in Sulaymani and surrounding areas following the deployment of large numbers of PUK and other militias for the first anniversary of the 2011 uprising.

Last night people in Sulaymani city centre reported that militiamen were robbing several shops and offices. This followed an attack by security forces on a student demonstration which left one student badly injured.

Sulaymani student demo on Sunday

The atmosphere has become so oppressive that local citizens have called on the ruling parties to withdraw their forces. There is evidence that many of the militiamen have come from outside Sulaymani and include criminal elements. They belong to Talabani’s special forces – the Zeravani – Barzani’s special forces and the ‘official’ Sulaymani special security forces.

Huge damage has been done to the reputation of the PUK and its apparatus – scarcely anyone in the region can say anything positive about them. The PUK grassroots know that no one can defend the torture machine that its party has installed for ordinary protesters in the Sulaymani region.

The three opposition groups today issued statements demanding the immediate withdrawal of these forces from Sulaymani.