Syrian authorities raid late Iraqi President Jalal Talabani’s apartment in Damascus

DAMASCUS — A security force affiliated with Syria’s new administration entered and searched the Damascus apartment of the late Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Friday, 964media has learned.

The apartment, located in the upscale Al-Mazraa neighborhood in central Damascus, was reportedly searched without prior notice, with the security team retaining the apartment’s keys after completing their inspection.

The apartment’s caretaker told 964media that a unit from the General Security Forces of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham demanded the keys, searched the premises, and locked the apartment without offering any explanation. “They took the keys and did not return them,” the caretaker said.

Mohammed Al-Asmmar, a foreign affairs official at the Syrian Ministry of Information, denied the report in a statement to 964media. “This report is false, and no one has approached Mr. Talabani’s building,” he said.

The Iraqi Embassy in Damascus intensified diplomatic communications and formally protested the unauthorized entry and search. According to embassy sources, the matter has been raised with Syria’s new administration in hopes of reaching a resolution. “The embassy lodged an official complaint and urged Syrian authorities to take appropriate measures regarding the incident,” a source said.

Photographs obtained by 964media and originally published by Kurdistani Nwe provide a glimpse into the modest apartment where Talabani, Iraq’s former president and founder of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, lived during the 1990s. The images show a simple office space filled with books and memorabilia, including photographs of Talabani with regional leaders, moments from his international visits, and snapshots from his time as a Peshmerga leader.

Jalal Talabani, a prominent Kurdish leader and the founder of the PUK, established the PUK in Damascus along with five other founding members in 1975.

Another photograph shows the balcony of the fourth-floor apartment, overlooking the Al-Mazraa district. The 150-square-meter space served as both a residence and a political hub for Talabani during a critical period in Iraq’s history.

Abdulrazzaq Koyi, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s representative in Damascus, told 964media that the keys to both Talabani’s apartment and his own residence remain in the possession of the local security chief, known by his nom de guerre, Abu Rakan.

Koyi said Abu Rakan’s headquarters is located near the Central Bank building in the Al-Mazraa neighborhood.

964media has contacted the Syrian Ministry of Interior for comment. Although an official pledged to review the matter and respond, no reply has been forthcoming at time of publication.

Inside the Damascus apartment of late Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (Photo credit: Kurdistani Nwe)

Apartment building where late Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (Photo credit: Kurdistani Nwe)