Murat Karayılan
Murat Karayılan | |
|---|---|
Karayılan in 2005 | |
| Native name | Mirad Qarayîlan |
| Other name | Cemal |
| Nickname | Cemal |
| Born | 5 June 1954 |
| Allegiance | Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) |
| Service years | 1979–2025 |
| Rank | Commander-in-Chief |
| Known for | Co-founder and acting leader of Kurdistan Workers' Party |
| Conflicts | |
| Other work | Author of Bir Savaşın Anatomisi (Anatomy of War) |
Murat Karayılan (Kurdish: Mirad Qarayîlan; born 5 June 1954), also nicknamed Cemal, is one of the co-founders of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). He became the PKK's acting leader after its original founder and leader, Abdullah Öcalan, was captured in 1999 by Turkish intelligence agents. In 2014, he left the PKK leader position and was assigned as the new commander-in-chief of the PKK's armed wing, the People's Defence Forces.