"Faux News Part of Psychological Warfare Against the Kudish Rebels?"

Pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş condemned the faux news that the number two of the Kurdish rebel group PKK, Murat Karayılan has been arrested in Iran.

"If this is a part of the psychological warfare, it's just not right," Demirtaş said.

Last Saturday, Turkish state television channel TRT Haber announced that Karayılan had been arrested. Anatolian News Agency (AA) further confirmed the news the next day, quoting the Iranian news agency Fars.

Karayılan later appeared on Roj TV and refuted the statement. Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Akbar Salihi also stated that they have no such information, in a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart. AA later issued a statement that the person in question is not Karayılan but "number two of the PKK".

"We have to discuss the reasons behind the collaboration of the Iranians and TRT in producing this false news and then export it to the Turkish media," said Demirtaş in a statement to Fırat News Agency.

Catching Karayılan wouldn't serve to the solution of the Kurdish issue, he added. (AS/EÜ)