PUK supporters beat Change party guard

With campaigning under way for the March 7 election, supporters of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani have injured an opposition activist in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The incident happened in the regional capital Arbil after armed supporters of Talabani’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party entered Arbil, removed all the posters of the Goran (Change) party candidates, and replaced them with posters of President Talabani and Kosrat Rasul.

In an ensuing argument, one of the PUK supporters beat one of the Goran party guards with the butt of his rifle. The group of 15 men left the scene before the police arrived.

Arbil police chief General Abdul Khaleq Talaat confirmed the incident, saying, “We were able to identify the people behind the attack and have issued warrants for their arrest,” AFP reported.

Iraq’s election commission also imposed a night curfew in Sulaimaniyah province after several violent incidents marred campaigning in the province, which borders Arbil province.