The Turkish government reported Riza Altun, a member of the executive council of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), an umbrella organization that includes the PKK, to have been among the four senior militants targeted in an attack on the PKK headquarters in Qandil Mountains just days prior to the country’s March 31 local elections, Ahval reported.

“While it is true that there was an air strike on Qandil on March 21, I was not present at the location this attack took place,’’ Altun said. “There was a need to disseminate such propaganda even though I wasn’t there. And this has not only happened to me, but regarding many of our friends… such [news] should not be given any regard.’’

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency, Presidential Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun and Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin were among the top government officials who announced via Twitter that Altun had been injured in the attack.

Interior minister Suleyman Soylu, along with pro-government media outlets such as Takvim had said Altun had been killed in the air strike.

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) used the claim on Altun days before the crucial local election, to spread the news that the outlawed is close to its demise, a claim that Ankara has pedaled since the 1980s when the group emerged.

More than 40,000 people, mostly Kurds, have been killed in the insurgency since it began in 1984.

Reporter’s code: 50101