Syrian rebels claim PKK commander in Syria assassinated

A small faction of Syrian rebels active in northern Syria has claimed that they assassinated notorious PKK commander in northern Syria, a huge blow to the rebel group if his death is confirmed.

Commander Fehman Huseyin, known as Bahoz Erdal within the PKK, was reportedly killed by Tel Khamis Brigades after his vehicle was blown up. The rebels said eight others were also killed during the attack. The report was first announced by Anadolu, Turkey’s state-run news agency.

It was not clear why the Syrian rebels targeted Huseyin near Kurdish town of Qamishli in northern Syria late on Friday. Its spokesperson said the assassination was a “gift to the Syrian people.” Some commentators argued that the rebels could have acted as the proxy group of Turkey, which has escalated the crackdown on the Kurdish rebels and bombed Kurdish militant targets in southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq and Syria.

Turkish daily Sozcu cited its sources from the Turkish army as saying that they still cannot confirm if Huseyin was actually killed. This is not the first time that news reports emerge about the death of Huseyin.

Pro-PKK news agency Firat said the reports about Huseyin’s death are fabricated and untrue and that they are aimed at boosting Turkish army’s morale.