Kurdish separatist fighters in Iraq begin laying down weapons as part of peace process with Turkey
Advertisement
'Starting today, members of the separatist terrorist organization have begun surrendering their weapons in groups, marking historic developments that signal the end of a dark era,' Bahceli said in a written statement. 'These are exceptionally important days for both Turkey and our region.'
Bahceli, who has traditionally maintained a hardline stance against the PKK, had surprised everyone in October when he suggested in parliament that Öcalan could be granted parole if he renounced violence and disbanded the PKK.
The ceremony took place in the mountains outside the city of Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region. The state-run Iraqi News Agency reported that 'the process will take place in stages, with a group of party members initially laying down their weapons ;symbolically.'' The disarmament process is expected to be completed by September, the agency reported.
Advertisement
The PKK has long maintained bases in the mountains of northern Iraq. Turkish forces have launched offensives and airstrikes against the PKK in Iraq and have set up bases in the area. Scores of villages have emptied as a result.
The Iraqi government in Baghdad last year announced an official ban on the separatist group, which has long been prohibited in Turkey.
Journalists were not allowed at the site of Friday's ceremony.
An Iraqi Kurdish political official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said that about 30 fighters took part in the ceremony, which took place in the presence of a representative of the Turkish intelligence service and representatives of the Kurdish regional government, Iraq's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party, and the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party, a pro-Kurdish party in Turkey.
PKK officials previously said that in order to continue the disarmament process, they want to see Turkey take steps to end 'the regime of isolation' imposed on Öcalan in prison and to allow integration of former militants into the political system.
Associated Press writers Abby Sewell in Beirut and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Queen's ‘Garden of Hate' taking case to federal court, rips judge and ‘scurrilous' NY Post coverage
The fight over a community garden in Queens is getting thornier. The attorney for the anti-Israel leaders of Sunset Community Garden in Ridgewood withdrew their state lawsuit against the city and the Parks Department — to make a federal case out of the issue. Since last fall, Jewish Ridgewood residents haven't felt welcome at Sunset Community Garden, thanks to the garden group's pro-Palestinian rhetoric, which included a special section labeled 'Poppies for Palestine.' 4 Some local residents said they do not feel welcome in the community garden, whose leaders asked incoming members to pledge 'solidarity' with the people of Palestine. Instagram @sunsetgardenridgewood Incoming members are also made to pledge 'solidarity with the oppressed and marginalized people' of Palestine' by the garden's management. The Parks Department wanted the group out by June 6 for 'violat[ing] the terms of their license' with the 'unconstitutional wording' of their 'ideological litmus test' for membership, according to court documents. The group responded with a state lawsuit in early June to block the eviction, and The Post was in the courtroom when attorneys for both sides met in court this month. But Jonathan Wallace, the garden leaders' attorney, withdrew the state lawsuit Monday, and told the city he plans to refile the case in federal court, a source said. In a letter this week, the lawyer accused Judge Hasa Kingo of allowing the 'scurrilous' New York Post's coverage to guide his rulings in court. 'The plaintiffs in this case are a community group composed largely of trans people of color, many of whom are immigrants, and who share a powerfully-rooted moral opposition to the horrifying violence committed by a political entity, the nation-state Israel, against the people of Gaza,' the letter read. 4 Attorney Jonathan Wallace objected to coverage from The Post. Michael Nagle 4 The garden's leaders are fighting the city's efforts to oust them. Helayne Seidman 'We could not be further from the ideals and goals stated by Justices Holmes and Brandeis when the Post appears to be influencing outcomes in judicial proceedings,' he added. 'As an old white, proudly Jewish attorney (something that in a 43-year career I never thought until now I would need to mention) I like and am content to be associated with' the garden leaders, Wallace concluded in his letter to Kingo. Christina Wilkinson — a Ridgewood resident who worked to secure funding for the green space, but is now one of its most vocal critics — said the switch to federal court a 'stall tactic,' and believes 'Parks must now remove the violators and find a community partner that will make Sunset Garden an open and inclusive place for all.' 4 Members planting in the garden in June 2024. Instagram @sunsetgardenridgewood She added, 'You have to love the irony of an attorney arguing that the City violated his clients' First Amendment rights, then turning around and complaining about [a Post reporter] being present in the courtroom.' Wallace did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The Parks Department refused to respond to requests for comment.
Newsweek
8 hours ago
- Newsweek
California Hits Back at Trump's $200M UCLA Grant Freeze: 'Manipulation'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. California's Governor Gavin Newsom has condemned the Trump administration's suspension of research grants for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), over alleged antisemitism. The U.S. Department of Justice froze hundreds of millions of dollars in medical and science research grants to UCLA over allegations of campus antisemitism and use of race in admissions. "It is a cruel manipulation to use Jewish students' real concerns about antisemitism on campus as an excuse to cut millions of dollars in grants," Newsom said in a statement. Newsweek has contacted the Justice Department for comment. File photo: Gavin Newsom looks on at Downey Memorial Christian Church in Downey, California, on July 16, 2025. File photo: Gavin Newsom looks on at Downey Memorial Christian Church in Downey, California, on July 16, 2025. Patrick T. Fallon/Getty Images Why It Matters Newsom's comments fuel his confrontation with the Trump administration, the latter seeking to put pressure on universities after student protests on college campuses about the war in Gaza were dubbed antisemitic by some lawmakers and groups. What To Know The U.S. Department of Justice said this week that the UCLA had violated the civil rights of Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests. The university's Chancellor Julio Frenk said he was told that the federal government, through its control of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other agencies, was suspending certain research funding to the UCLA. The Department of Health and Human Services, of which NIH is a part, said in a statement that it would "not fund institutions that promote antisemitism." The UCLA had earlier announced it had agreed a $6 million settlement of alleged discrimination brought by Jewish students and a faculty member. The lawsuit accused the university of failing to take action when pro-Palestinian protesters set up encampments on campus in spring 2024. The Los Angeles Times said university leaders had been expecting this moment for months amid federal investigations into alleged use of race in admissions, employment discrimination against Jews, and civil-rights complaints from Jewish students. But Frenk said Thursday that the pausing of funding—whose amount he did not reveal but which Newsom said was around $200 million—was a loss to both researchers and Americans whose health benefits from its work. The LA Times reported that the amount was $300 million. Frenk said that antisemitism "has no place on our campus, nor does any form of discrimination," adding that "we recognize that we can improve." Newsom weighed in with a statement Friday that said that freezing the funding—which would investigate invasive diseases, "cure cancer, and build new defense technologies—makes our country less safe." What People Are Saying California Governor Gavin Newsom said: "Freezing critical research funding for UCLA—dollars that were going to study invasive diseases, cure cancer, and build new defense technologies—makes our country less safe." UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk said in a statement on the freezing of funding: "[It] is not only a loss to the researchers who rely on critical grants. It is a loss for Americans across the nation whose work, health, and future depend on the groundbreaking work we do." What Happens Next The LA Times reported that it is not clear what steps the UCLA might take, but Newsom has said he was "reviewing" the Justice Department's findings.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Syria: Are parliamentary elections a new beginning?
In mid-September, Syrians are set to elect their new parliament for the first time since the fall of the authoritarian Assad regime, which had shaped the country's politics for over half a century. The new parliament in Damascus is expected to have 210 members, 60 more than the current provisional parliament, which was formed in March this year. The new parliament will serve for a transitional period of three years, at the end of which a new constitution is to be adopted. Foreign election observers are allowed. Areas that are not under government control at present, such as the Kurdish-controlled regions and the predominantly Druze province of Sweida, which was recently shaken by violent unrest, will continue to have seats allocated on the basis of their population, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA. Multiple challenges The fact that elections are taking place is a truly historic moment, said Sarah Bassisseh, a political scientist researching at the University of Tübingen. "Syriais going through a difficult transition phase. But the fact that the country now has a new electoral system gives many Syrians great hope, even if they are aware of the difficulties associated with the elections, particularly the general loss of trust among smaller sectarian and ethnic groups in the government," she said. This makes it all the more important for the country's political leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to convince these groups that the elections are transparent and legitimate. Middle East expert Birgit Schaebler, historian and professor at the University of Erfurt and director of the Orient Institute in Beirut until 2022, takes a similar view. To characterize the upcoming elections, she compares them to the practices under the ousted Assad regime: under the rule of former president Bashar Assad, two-thirds of the seats automatically went to the dominant Baath Party and its allies. "This meant they could never lose," she told DW. "The parliament was correspondingly weak and it was primarily a debating club that rubber-stamped the president's directives," she explained. That is now set to change: 140 members of parliament are to be elected in a democratic process by regional electoral committees, although the details are yet to be clarified. The remaining 70 members of parliament are to be appointed by interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa. However, the president's significant influence on the elections is seen particularly controversial in Syria, especially since not all citizens and population groups believe that he has truly distanced himself from his former militant Islamist links. Are diversity and integration at stake? "Even in his current government, Ahmed al-Sharaa surrounded himself with people close to him," said Sarah Bassisseh. "It is composed of close associates," she explains. In her view, the appointment of a Christian, Hind Kabawat, as Minister of Social Affairs was intended to demonstrate diversity and inclusivity. "But many Syrians are skeptical that this is a sincere gesture and isn't intended to distract from the fact that the government as a whole is heavily dominated by al-Sharaa's confidants," she told DW. In turn, parts of the population fear that this policy will continue with regard to the new parliament. "It is at least unclear how diverse and inclusive it will ultimately be," Bassisseh said. Scepticism also prevails due to the fact that the remaining 140 members of parliament will not be directly elected, but rather appointed by regional electoral committees. However, Birgit Schaebler doubts that direct elections would even be possible given the severely weakened infrastructure and logistics caused by 14 years of civil war. She points out that al-Sharaa is sticking to the election date despite the recent violence in the Druze region. "He could have postponed it, yet the fact that he has not done so can certainly be seen as a positive sign," she said. Moreover, al-Sharaa is under pressure both nationally and internationally, according to the expert. "The government has lost a great deal of trust as a result of the recent violence and Al-Sharaa must regain that trust," she told DW. The question of who he will appoint to the 70 non-elected seats is likely to be a key factor in this, Schaebler believes. "Of course, ultimately all population groups want to see themselves represented in parliament," she said. Skepticism among minorities It remains to be seen whether religious and ethnic minorities will participate in the election, and if so, to what extent following the violence of recent weeks, Sarah Bassisseh said. She believes that members of these groups are likely to be cautious, at the very least. "It is important here to emphasize that there has been a systematic exclusion of some groups, including women, from state politics and institutions, which was greatly intensified by recent violence," she told DW, adding that "this will potentially pose structural limits to genuine participation by these groups, such as the lack of incentives, lack of safety, and lack of accessibility, just to name a few." Bassisseh finds it therefore particularly questionable whether a fair and genuine participation of different ethnic and religious groups will be seen. "The lack of trust in both the government and the credibility of the electoral process itself might disincentivize authentic engagement of some of these groups," she said, emphasizing that "there isn't a guarantee of fair representation for them in the final 140 seats, any representation they might get from the presidential 70 seats will be tailored to the government's parameters." Schaebler is somewhat more optimistic although she agrees that trust between the government and minorities has been damaged. She also points out that some minorities, such as the Druze, are themselves politically divided. For example, Druze leader Hikmat al-Hijri is not particularly inclined to engage in compromise with the Syrian government. Instead, he maintains close contacts with Israel, whose armed forces provided military support to the Druze in their conflict with Sunni Bedouins and parts of the government forces in July. "Still, I consider it unlikely that al-Hijri's faction could prevail," said Schaebler. She therefore does not expect the Druze to boycott the election. "Not only among the Druze, but also among the other minorities, most people will want to participate in the new Syria, provided the government respects their regional and local interests." This article was originally written in German.
