Bahoz Erdal

Bahoz Erdal, also known as Fahman Husain (Kurdish: Fehman Hûseyn‎ فەهمان حوسێن‎, also spelled Fehman Hüseyin[1]) (born 1969), is a commander in the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). He is originally from Derîk in Syrian Kurdistan.[2][3]

Fehman Hûseyn
Nickname(s)Dr. Bahoz Erdal
Born1969 (age 51–52)
Al-Malikiyah, Al-Hasakah Governorate, Syrian Kurdistan
Allegiance Kurdistan Workers' Party
Years of service1992-present
RankCommander
Battles/warsKurdish–Turkish conflict

Biography

Born in 1969, Hüseyin is a Syrian Kurd who has studied medicine at university – thus nicknamed 'Doctor' – in Damascus. Following PKK's leader Abdullah Öcalan's capture in 1999, he shared the leadership of the PKK with Murat Karayılan and Cemil Bayık, commanding the armed branch HPG particularly.[4][5]

He served as the head of the People's Defence Forces (HPG), the PKK's armed wing from June 2004[6] until July 2009, when he was replaced by Sofi Nurettin.[7]

Since 2004 he has been part of the three-man PKK Executive Committee, including acting PKK leader Murat Karayılan and PKK co-founder Cemil Bayik,[8] who preceded Bahoz Erdal as the PKK's military commander.[6]

Some Turkish security analysts has claimed that Erdal is the leader of the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK).[9]

Alleged July 2016 assassination

According to Turkey's official state news agency Anadolu Agency, and the Daily Sabah citing Anadolu Agency, he was killed in Syria on 8 July 2016. A person under the name of Halid el Hasekavi, spokesman of an anti-regime armed group named Tel Hamis Brigades, told an AA correspondent that Hüseyin was allegedly targeted near northern Syrian city of Qamishli. He claimed that Hüseyin's car was blown up at 8:30 p.m. on 8 July, being killed along with eight people including his guards.[4][5] On 12 July, the Yeni Safak quoted the Turkish MIT intelligence service as the source of this story.[10] Sources close to PKK denied these claims.[11][12][13][14]

The story was debunked when Erdal gave a radio interview on 13 July[15] and later thoroughly deconstructed as fake by international media.[16]

He appeared on a video in April 2017 and addressed to Turkish citizens about the 2017 Turkish constitutional referendum.[17]

References
  1. "56 PKK militants killed in last ten days". World Bulletin. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  2. "Rebels vow to step up Turkey raids". The Times. 13 October 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  3. Today'S Zaman
  4. PKK terrorist group's armed wing commander 'Bahoz Erdal' killed in northern Syria Daily Sabah, 9 July 2014
  5. PKK'nın üst düzey sorumlularından 'Bahoz Erdal' öldürüldü AA News Agency, 9 July 2016
  6. "Leading PKK Commander Cemil Bayik Crosses into Iran". The Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  7. "How Kurdish PKK Militants Are Exploiting the Crisis in Syria to Achieve Regional Autonomy". The Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  8. "New PKK Leadership 11111111Takes Over Insurgency". MiddleEastNewsline. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  9. Vera Eccarius-Kelly (2011). The Militant Kurds. ABC-CLIO. p. 212. ISBN 0-313-36468-0. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  10. "A'Death of PKK commander Bahoz Erdal confirmed'". Yeni Safak. 2016-07-12. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  11. "Bahoz Erdal li ser kar e". ANF. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  12. "PKK denies Turkish media reports of senior leader's death". Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  13. "Bahoz is alive and working normally". Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  14. "PKK denies death of its military commander - ARA News". 10 July 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  15. "'Killed' PKK Commander Bahoz Erdal Speaks to Kurdish Radio". kurdishquestion.com. 2016-07-13. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  16. "Anatomy of a Turkish assassination fable". Al-Monitor. 2016-07-15. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  17. Haber7. "Terör elebaşı Bahoz Erdal'dan referandum tehdidi". Haber7.
Preceded by
Nizamettin Taş		 Military Commander of the PKK
June 2004 – June 2009		 Succeeded by
Sofi Nurettin


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