Kurdish militants in Iraqi Kurdistan to hand over weapons
According to a statement released by the PKK, a group of militants will leave the mountains and surrender their weapons in an attempt to demonstrate their support for democratic politics and peace.
According to the statement, a ceremony scheduled between July 10 and 12 in the city of Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan region of Iraq will mark the first tangible step toward disarmament.
The PKK announced a ceasefire with Turkey earlier in 2025 in response to a call from its leader, Abdullah Ocalan, who is presently serving a life sentence, to dismantle and disarm the organization.
In late February, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs hailed the call made by Ocalan to his party to lay down arms.
The ministry viewed this endeavor as a critical step in improving security throughout the region, not just in Iraq, where PKK fighters are active in various parts of Iraqi Kurdistan and a few other places.
Turkey, the United States, and the European Union have all labeled the PKK, which has been fighting for decades, as a terrorist organization.
The party's choice to dissolve is an important milestone in regional geopolitics and may alleviate long-standing tensions, particularly in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, where PKK members have remained.
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