Mustafa Karasu | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Huseyin Ali[1] |
| Born | (1950-01-02)2 January 1950 (age 75) |
| Allegiance | Kurdistan Workers' Party |
| Rank | Deputy Chairman of PKK Leader of ERNK |
| Unit | ERNK (previously) |
| Battles / wars | Kurdish–Turkish conflict |
Mustafa Karasu also known asHuseyin Ali is a deputy chairman[2] Turkish founder of theKurdistan Workers' Party (PKK),[3] aKurdish rebel group fighting anarmed insurgency against the government ofTurkey for an independentKurdistan. The group is recognised as aterrorist organisation by Turkey, theUnited States andEU.[4]
Karasu was born inKarapınar, Gürün.[5] Along withCemil Bayık andDuran Kalkan he is viewed as one of the hardliners among the PKK's leadership and is alleged to have links toIran.[6] He is the leader of theAlevi groups within the PKK.[7] His name was on the list of 248 PKK members of which Turkey wished extradication from Iraq on July 10, 2010.[8]
He was imprisoned for several years after the1980 Turkish coup d'état, after his release he became a member of the PKK's politburo (leadership council) and led the group's popular front: the ERNK.[9] After working in the PKK's political wing for 3 years, in Europe he was called back to South-Eastern Turkey byAbdullah Ocalan to gain more battle experience.[10] He is currently the member of the Executive Council (de facto government) of theKoma Civakên Kurdistan (KCK), which is the PKK's umbrella organisation.[11] He has repeatedly spoken out on the side of thePalestinians when talking about theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict.[12][13]
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| People | |
