Bahoz Erdal
{{Short description|PKK military commander}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Bahoz Erdal
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| native_name = فەهمان حوسێن
| native_name_lang = ku
| birth_name = Fehman Hûseyn
| other_name = Bahoz Erdal
| nickname = Dr. Bahoz Erdal
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1969|08|03}}
| birth_place = Al-Malikiyah, Al-Hasakah Governorate, Syria
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| serviceyears = 1992–present
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| rank = Commander
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| unit = {{flagicon image|Flag of Hêzên Parastina Gel.svg|border=no}} HPG
| commands =
| known_for = Military commander of the PKK
| battles = {{tree list}}
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| alma_mater = Damascus University
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Bahoz Erdal, also known as Fahman Husein ({{langx|ku|Fehman Hûseyn}} {{Script/Arabic|فەهمان حوسێن}}, also spelled Fehman Hüseyin{{cite news|url=http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=101142|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130423230957/http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=101142|url-status=usurped|archive-date=April 23, 2013|title=56 PKK militants killed in last ten days|date=2 January 2013|work=World Bulletin|access-date=12 January 2013}}) (born 3 August 1969), in Kurdistan in Syria is a top commander in the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). He is originally from Dêrik in Syrian Kurdistan.{{cite web|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article2648451.ece |title=Rebels vow to step up Turkey raids|work=The Times|date=13 October 2007|access-date=20 August 2015}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=103977&bolum=101 |title=Today'S Zaman |access-date=2007-12-12 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220627/http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=103977&bolum=101 |url-status=dead }}
Biography
Born in 1969, Hüseyin is a Syrian Kurd who 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.[http://www.dailysabah.com/war-on-terror/2016/07/09/pkk-terrorist-groups-armed-wing-commander-bahoz-erdal-killed-in-northern-syria PKK terrorist group's armed wing commander 'Bahoz Erdal' killed in northern Syria] Daily Sabah, 9 July 2014[http://aa.com.tr/tr/turkiye/pkknin-ust-duzey-sorumlularindan-bahoz-erdal-olduruldu/604816 PKK'nın üst düzey sorumlularından 'Bahoz Erdal' öldürüldü] AA News Agency, 9 July 2016
He served as the head of the People's Defence Forces (HPG), the PKK's armed wing from June 2004{{cite web|url=http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=4938|title=Leading PKK Commander Cemil Bayik Crosses into Iran|publisher=The Jamestown Foundation|access-date=23 January 2015}} until July 2009, when he was replaced by Sofi Nurettin.{{cite web|url=http://www.jamestown.org/programs/gta/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=39235&cHash=3ccc90aba609f654ddd5102286620319|title=How Kurdish PKK Militants Are Exploiting the Crisis in Syria to Achieve Regional Autonomy|work=The Jamestown Foundation|access-date=23 January 2015}}
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,{{cite web|url=http://www.menewsline.com/article-809-New-PKK-Leadership-Takes-Over-Ins.aspx |title=New PKK Leadership Takes Over Insurgency|publisher=Middle East Newsline|access-date=20 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626123957/http://www.menewsline.com/article-809-New-PKK-Leadership-Takes-Over-Ins.aspx |archive-date=26 June 2015 }} who preceded Bahoz Erdal as the PKK's military commander.
Some Turkish security analysts claimed in 2011 that Erdal is the leader of the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK).{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DhtRxs4CVSUC&pg=PA212|title=The Militant Kurds|publisher=ABC-CLIO|author=Vera Eccarius-Kelly|year=2011|page=212|isbn=978-0-313-36468-6|access-date=23 January 2015}}
Since 28 October 2015, he has been in the red category of the "Most Wanted Terrorists" list published by the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Turkey. The Ministry announced that a reward of up to 10 million TL will be given to the person or persons who catch him or share information that will result in his capture.{{Cite web|title=Interior Ministry issues a list of Turkey's most wanted terrorists|url=https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2015/10/28/interior-ministry-issues-a-list-of-turkeys-most-wanted-terrorists|access-date=2015-10-28|website=Daily Sabah|date=28 October 2015 }}
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. On 12 July, the Yeni Şafak quoted the Turkish MİT intelligence service as the source of this story.{{cite web|url=http://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/death-of-pkk-commander-bahoz-erdal-confirmed-2493137|title=A'Death of PKK commander Bahoz Erdal confirmed'|publisher=Yeni Şafak|date=2016-07-12|access-date=2016-07-22}} Sources close to PKK denied these claims.{{cite news|title=Bahoz Erdal li ser kar e|url=http://anfkurdi.com/kurdistan/bahoz-erdal-li-ser-kar-e|access-date=9 July 2016|agency=ANF|date=9 July 2016}}{{cite news|title=PKK denies Turkish media reports of senior leader's death|url=http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/turkey/09072016|access-date=10 July 2016}}{{cite news|title=Bahoz is alive and working normally|url=http://anfturkce.net/kurdistan/bahoz-erdal-gorevinin-basindadir|access-date=10 July 2016}}{{cite news|title=PKK denies death of its military commander - ARA News|url=http://aranews.net/2016/07/pkk-denies-death-military-commander/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160713122816/http://aranews.net/2016/07/pkk-denies-death-military-commander/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 13, 2016|access-date=10 July 2016|date=10 July 2016}}
The story was debunked when Erdal gave a radio interview on 13 July{{cite web|url=http://www.kurdishquestion.com/article/3283-039-killed-039-pkk-commander-bahoz-erdal-speaks-to-kurdish-radio|title='Killed' PKK Commander Bahoz Erdal Speaks to Kurdish Radio|publisher=kurdishquestion.com|date=2016-07-13|access-date=2016-07-26|archive-date=2017-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412164344/http://kurdishquestion.com/article/3283-039-killed-039-pkk-commander-bahoz-erdal-speaks-to-kurdish-radio|url-status=dead}} and later thoroughly deconstructed as fake by international media.{{cite web|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/07/turkey-syria-pkk-leader-bahoz-erdal-assassination.html|title=Anatomy of a Turkish assassination fable|publisher=Al-Monitor|date=2016-07-15|access-date=2016-07-22}}
He appeared on a video in April 2017 and addressed Turkish citizens about the 2017 Turkish constitutional referendum.{{cite web|url=http://www.haber7.com/guncel/haber/2307618-teror-elebasi-bahoz-erdaldan-referandum-tehdidi|title=Terör elebaşı Bahoz Erdal'dan referandum tehdidi|last=Haber7|website=Haber7}}
References
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External links
- {{cite web|url=http://hezenparastin.com/eng/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420083555/http://www.hezenparastin.com/eng/ |archive-date=2010-04-20 |url-status=dead |title=The Official Web Site of the HPG (People's Defence Force) |access-date=20 August 2015 }}
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{{succession box | before = Nizamettin Taş |title= Military Commander of the PKK |years = June 2004 – June 2009 | after = Sofi Nurettin}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erdal, Bahoz}}
Category:Syrian Kurdish people
Category:Members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party
Category:Kurdish military personnel
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