Kurdish PKK militants burn weapons in landmark step to end decades-long Turkey conflict
Politicians and observers gathered for the ceremony held in the ancient cave of Casene near the town of Sulaymaniyah, where about 30 men and women from the militant group placed their weapons in a large cauldron that was later set on fire.
The PKK fighters announced in a statement their intent to continue the 'struggle for freedom' through 'democratic politics and legal means.'
'We hereby, of our own free will, and in your presence, destroy our weapons,' the statement said.
Turkish news channels breathlessly reported on the ceremony although, aside from a small group of invited observers, journalists were not allowed into the area. Turkish channels showed helicopters flying over the cave where the ceremony was expected to take place. Convoys of white pick-up trucks and black vans were seen driving to the area.
A senior Turkish official said Friday's move was an 'irreversible turning point' and described it as a 'milestone.'
In May, the PKK, which is listed as a terror group in Turkey, the United States and the European Union, announced it would cease 'all activities' and dissolve after a call from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan. The Kurdish issue has come 'to a point where it can be resolved through democratic politics,' the PKK said in a statement at the time.
In a rare video statement this week, the leader urged the Turkish parliament to set up a commission to manage the broader peace process.
Founded by Ocalan in 1978, the PKK has waged a war against the Turkish state for decades.
The group initially fought for an independent state in the Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast. But in recent years, it has called for more autonomy and more comprehensive cultural rights within the country instead.
This is not the first time that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has tried to end the conflict, which is estimated to have killed more than 40,000 people.
He courted the Kurdish vote in earlier years by granting them more rights and reversing restrictions on the use of their language.
In 2013, Erdogan worked with the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party on the brief peace process with the PKK.
Those talks collapsed in 2015, leading to crackdowns against the pro-Kurdish party, which has been accused by the Turkish government of having links to the PKK and its affiliates.
Selahattin Demirtas, a popular Kurdish politician and co-leader of the Peoples' Democratic Party who once ran as a presidential candidate remains in jail after being detained in 2016 and charged with 'vague and wide-reaching accusations' including 'undermining the unity and territorial integrity of the State,' according to Human Rights Watch.
Kurds are the biggest minority in Turkey, making up between 15% and 20% of the population, according to Minority Rights Group International. They also have a significant presence in northern Syria, northern Iraq and Iran.
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Thai-Cambodian conflict pits a well-equipped US ally against a weaker adversary with strong China links
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'Thailand has a large, well-funded military and its air force is one of the best equipped and trained in Southeast Asia,' the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) wrote in its 'Military Balance 2025' look at the world's armed forces. Meanwhile, a 2024 ranking of the military capabilities of 27 regional nations by the Lowy Institute places Thailand at 14th, to Cambodia's 23rd. Such a disparity is perhaps to be expected, given Thailand has four times as many people as Cambodia, and a GDP more than 10 times larger. Unlike Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, it escaped the ravages of the wars that engulfed the region in the second half of the 20th century, and the European colonialism that preceded them. Overall, with factors including military, economic, diplomatic and cultural power weighed in the Lowy Asia Power Index, Thailand is ranked 10th, considered a middle power, just behind Indonesia but ahead of countries including Malaysia and Vietnam. Lowy ranks Cambodia as a minor power in Asia, grouped with countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Laos. Thailand has strong US ties, global outlook Thailand's military has long been a major player in the kingdom's politics. The country has for years been dominated by a conservative establishment comprising the military, the monarchy and influential elites. Generals have seized power in 20 coups since 1932, often toppling democratic governments, according to the CIA World Factbook, and the military portrays itself as the ultimate defender of the monarchy. Thailand is a United States treaty ally, a status dating back to the signing of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, also known as the Manila Pact, in 1954, according to the US State Department. During the Vietnam War, Thailand hosted US Air Force assets at some air bases, including B-52 bombers, and tens of thousands Thai troops fought on the side of the US-backed South Vietnam against the communist North. 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New York Times
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Yahoo
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Khdour's cousin, Malek Mansour, the sole witness, told the AP he was questioned by both Israeli and American investigators and repeated his testimony that shots came from a white pickup on Israeli territory. He believes the investigators did not push hard enough to figure out who killed his cousin. 'The matter ended like many of those who were martyred (killed),' said Hanan Khdour, Khdour's mother. Two months after the death, Israeli forces raided the family's home and detained Mohammad's brother, Omar Khdour, 23, also an American citizen. Videos taken by family and shared with the AP show Omar Khdour blindfolded and handcuffed as Israeli soldiers in riot gear lead him out of the building and into a military jeep. He said he was threatened during questioning, held from 4 am to 3 pm, and warned not to pursue the case. 'Here, being American means nothing' Omar Khdour said Israeli soldiers at checkpoints have prevented him from leaving the West Bank to visit Israel or Jerusalem. Two other American fathers of Palestinian-Americans killed since Oct. 7, 2023 reported similar restrictions. Hafeth Abdel Jabbar, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar's father, said he and his wife were blocked from leaving the West Bank for seven months. His son, Amir Abdel Jabbar, 22, remains restricted. The father of Amer Rabee says he and his wife have also been stuck in the West Bank since their son's killing. He showed AP emails from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem in which a consular official told him that Israel had imposed a travel ban on him, though it was unclear why. Israeli authorities did not respond to comment on the detentions or travel restrictions. Rabee said that in a land where violence against Palestinians goes unchecked, his family's American passports amounted to nothing more than a blue book. 'We are all American citizens,' Rabee said. 'But here, for us, being American means nothing." Solve the daily Crossword
