Lahur Talabany, born 1975; (
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish languages
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern Kurdistan
**Eastern Kurdistan
**Northern Kurdistan
**Western Kurdistan
See also
* Kurd (dis ...
: لاهور تاڵەبانی) also known as Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabany is the former Co-President of the
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK; ku, یەکێتیی نیشتمانیی کوردستان, translit=Yekîtiya Nîştimanî ya Kurdistanê) is a political party active in Kurdistan Region and the disputed territories in Iraq. The PUK describe ...
(PUK)
and the former Director of the Zanyari Agency, one of two intelligence services in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq operating within the framework of the Kurdistan Region Security Council, and Former Director of the Counter Terrorism Group (
CTG). Known commonly as Sheikh Lahur, Talabany was a leading figure in the fight against terror especially in the fight against ISIS.
Political and Military Kurdistan
From 1999 to 2001 Talabany served as the Special Representative of the PUK to
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
Having returned to the Kurdistan Region, he co-founded the Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG) in 2002, which was established with the support of the United States Military 10th Special Forces Group and the Central Intelligence Agency. Talabany continues to play an integral role in the fight against terrorism. Talabany is a well respected and distinguished figure in the Iraqi political, military and intelligence communities. He has devoted his professional career to the Kurdish cause and is a leading figure among the new generation of PUK cadres and enjoys favorable standing throughout Kurdistan, Iraq and the wider region. A staunch ally of the United States and the West, Talabany continues to be an influential and crucial figure in the security and political fields in Kurdistan, Iraq and the wider region. Having established strong foundations with key figures in Kurdistan and Iraq, Talabany also maintains good relations with prominent Arab leaders and influential Western and Middle Eastern states. Since July 2021 there is a struggle over the leadership go the PUK, in which Bafel Talabani accuses Lahur of poisoning him while Lahur rejects such claims and calls for a resolution within the leadership council of the PUK.
Counter
In response to the rise of extremist groups in the
Hawraman
Avroman or Hawraman, ( ku, ههورامان, translit=Hewraman, fa, اورامان) is a mountainous region located within the provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah in western Iran and in north-eastern Kurdistan Region in Iraq. The main part o ...
area of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Talabany was instrumental in the creation of Kurdistan's first counter-terrorism elite special forces. Countering terrorism in relatively few numbers at the outset, the CTG forces have grown in number and are considered a well established rapid response unit. Highly trained and well equipped, the CTG forces under Talabany's leadership have repelled and eliminated countless terrorist threats to the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
Ansar Al Islam and Operation Viking Hammer
In 2003 Talabany played a leading role in the decisive
Operation Viking Hammer
Operation Viking Hammer was an unconventional warfare operation during the Iraq War which took place in northern Iraq, commonly known as Iraqi Kurdistan. The goal of the operation was to eliminate the Ansar al-Islam terrorists as they had occupie ...
to oust the
Ansar Al-Islam
Ansar al-Islam in Kurdistan ( ku, ئەنسارولئیسلام له کوردستان),Chalk, Peter, ''Encyclopedia of Terrorism'' Volume 1, 2012, ABC-CLIO simply called Ansar al-Islam ( ku, ئەنسارولئیسلام), also nicknamed the Kurdi ...
terrorist organization, which was recognized as a major threat to Kurdistan’s national security. The operation’s success led to the permanent expulsion of Ansar Al-Islam from the Kurdistan Region.
Co-President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
In February 2020, he was elected to serve as the Co-President of the
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK; ku, یەکێتیی نیشتمانیی کوردستان, translit=Yekîtiya Nîştimanî ya Kurdistanê) is a political party active in Kurdistan Region and the disputed territories in Iraq. The PUK describe ...
(PUK) alongside
Bafel Talabani
Bafel Jalal Talabani (Kurdish: بافڵ جەلال تاڵەبانی), known as Bafel Talabani (Kurdish: بافڵ تاڵەبانی) (born 1 January 1973), is an Iraqi Kurdish politician and current leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) ...
.
Zanyari Agency
In 2013, Talabany was appointed as the Director of the Zanyari Agency (the Intelligence Unit of the PUK).
Upon his appointment, one of Talabany's first actions was to incorporate the CTG into Zanyari Agency. The new framework adopted by the Agency was a historic shift as it was the first time in the Kurdistan Region that a military entity was integrated into an intelligence agency. Talabany has played a pivotal role in unifying the Kurdish intelligence apparatus as well as modernizing Zanyari to better combat evolving national and regional security threats. Upon becoming director, Talabany developed a strong strategic partnership with his counterparts in other services.
Personal life
Talabany is married and a father of three children, two sons, and a daughter. Talabany has five brothers and two sisters. He is fluent in Kurdish, English, Turkish, Arabic and Persian. Talabany is an avid football fan and supports Liverpool FC. He takes a keen interest in ancient history and enjoys painting. Lahur is the nephew of
Jalal Talabani
Jalal Talabani ( ku, مام جەلال تاڵەبانی, translit=Celal Talebanî; ar, جلال طالباني ; 1933 – 3 October 2017) was an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the sixth president of Iraq from 2006 to 2014, as well as ...
.
[https://www.rudaw.net/arabic/kurdistan/110820201 ]
References
External links
*Reuter
After Mosul, jihadist threat to Iraq will grow*VICE News HB
The Fight Against ISIL*Sky New
Child Suicide Bombers*Newsweek Middle Eas
Without post-Daesh plan, history will repeat itself in Iraq and Syria*Reuter
Special Report: Under siege in Mosul, Islamic State turns to executions and paranoia*The Washington Institut
The Iraqi Kurdish Battle Against ISIS: Reports from the Front
{{DEFAULTSORT:Talabany, Lahur
Living people
1975 births
Iraqi Kurdish people
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan politicians