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Al Jazeera
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
PKK begins disarmament process after 40 years of armed struggle in Turkiye
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has begun the first steps towards disarmament, closing a chapter on a four-decade armed campaign against the Turkish state in a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people. A small ceremony was being held on Friday in Iraq's northern Kurdish region, where 20 to 30 PKK fighters were expected to destroy their weapons rather than surrender them to any government or authority. The symbolic process is being conducted under tight security and is expected to unfold throughout the summer. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has welcomed the development, declaring it as 'totally ripping off and throwing away the bloody shackles that were put on our country's legs'. Erdogan also said the move would benefit the entire region. The move follows an announcement in May by the PKK that it would abandon its armed struggle. For most of its history, the PKK has been labelled a 'terrorist' group by Turkiye, the European Union and the United States. More than 40,000 people were killed between 1984 and 2024, with thousands of Kurds fleeing the violence in southeastern Turkiye into cities further north. In a video aired earlier this week but recorded in June by the PKK-linked Firat News Agency, the group's imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan described the moment as 'a voluntary transition from the phase of armed conflict to the phase of democratic politics and law', calling it a 'historic gain'. Ocalan has been held in solitary confinement on Imrali Island in Turkiye since his capture in 1999. Despite his imprisonment, he remains a symbolic figure for the group and broader PKK offshoots across the region. The disarmament is being closely monitored by members of Turkiye's Kurdish DEM party, as well as Turkish media. Further phases will take place at designated locations involving coordination between Turkiye, Iraq and the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq. The impact of the conflict has been deeply felt not only in Turkiye but across neighbouring countries, particularly Iraq, Syria and Iran, where the PKK and its affiliates have maintained a presence. 'If the PKK leaves there won't be any shelling' In northern Iraq, where the fighting has often spilled over, civilians are cautiously hopeful. Al Jazeera's Mahmoud Abdelwahed visited communities in the mountainous district of Amedi, near the Turkish border, where villages have been caught in the crossfire. 'Here in northern Iraq, the PKK controls hundreds of villages spread across the semi-autonomous Kurdish region,' said Abdelwahed. 'Some have been turned into battlefields, severely limiting access to farmland and making life even more difficult for displaced families who are desperate to return home.' Shirwan Sirkli, a local farmer, told Al Jazeera that the conflict destroyed his family's livelihood. 'My farm was burned down by shelling as Turkish forces and the PKK brought their conflict to our lands. My brother also lost his $300,000 worth of sheep ranches. Many of our neighbours have left the village – only 35 out of about a hundred families remain.' Turkish military operations in the area have intensified in recent years, with Ankara establishing outposts across the border and frequently targeting PKK positions. 'The presence of PKK fighters in the area has only brought disaster to us,' said Ahmad Saadullah, a local community leader speaking to Al Jazeera. 'If they leave, there won't be any shelling. We would like to see the peace deal implemented on the ground so we can reclaim our land and live in peace.'
Business Recorder
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
PKK leader Ocalan says armed struggle with Turkey is over
ANKARA: Abdullah Ocalan, jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, appeared in a rare online video on Wednesday to declare the group's armed struggle against Turkey over and call for a full transition to democratic politics. In the recording, dated June and released by the PKK-affiliated Firat News Agency, Ocalan called on Turkey's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage a broader peace process. 'The phase of armed struggle has ended. This is not a loss, but a historic gain,' he said. 'The armed struggle stage must now be voluntarily replaced by a phase of democratic politics and law.' The PKK, locked in a bloody insurgency for more than four decades and designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies, decided in May to disband after an initial written appeal from Ocalan in February. Later on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party - the third biggest party in parliament which played a key role in facilitating the PKK's disarmament decision - said a group of militants would begin handing over their weapons in the northern Iraqi city of Suleymaniyah on Friday.
News18
09-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
PKK's Jailed Leader Ocalan Says Armed Struggle Against Turkiye Over Turkey News
Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), has announced the end of the group's armed struggle against Turkiye, calling for a full shift to democratic jailed leader relayed his message via a video recording dated June, which was aired by the PKK-aligned Firat News Agency on Wednesday, describing the shift as a 'historic gain'.News18 Mobile App -
Al Arabiya
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
In video, jailed PKK leader Ocalan says armed struggle with Turkey over
Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), appeared in a rare online video on Wednesday to say the group's armed struggle against Turkey has ended, and he called for a full shift to democratic politics. In the recording, dated June and released by Firat News Agency, which is close to the PKK, Ocalan urged Turkey's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage a broader peace process. The PKK, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state for 40 years and is labelled a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the EU, decided in May to disband after an initial written appeal from Ocalan in February. 'The phase of armed struggle has ended. This is not a loss, but a historic gain,' he said in the video, the first time since he was jailed in 1999 that either footage of him or a recording of his voice has been released. 'The armed struggle stage must now be voluntarily replaced by a phase of democratic politics and law.' Ocalan, seated in a beige polo shirt with a glass of water on the table in front of him, appeared to read from a transcript in the seven-minute video. He was surrounded by six other jailed PKK members all looking straight at the camera. He said the PKK had ended its separatist agenda. 'The main objective has been achieved – existence has been acknowledged,' he said. 'What remains would be excessive repetition and a dead end.' Ocalan added that Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party, the third largest in parliament in Ankara, should work alongside other political parties.
Arab News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Jailed PKK leader Ocalan says armed struggle with Turkiye over
Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), appeared in a rare online video on Wednesday to say the group's armed struggle against Turkiye has ended, and he called for a full shift to democratic the recording, dated June and released by Firat News Agency, which is close to the PKK, Ocalan urged Turkiye's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage a broader peace PKK, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state for 40 years and is labelled a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States and the EU, decided in May to disband after an initial written appeal from Ocalan in February.'The phase of armed struggle has ended. This is not a loss, but a historic gain,' he said in the video, the first time since he was jailed in 1999 that either footage of him or a recording of his voice has been released.'The armed struggle stage must now be voluntarily replaced by a phase of democratic politics and law.'Ocalan, seated in a beige polo shirt with a glass of water on the table in front of him, appeared to read from a transcript in the seven-minute video. He was surrounded by six other jailed PKK members all looking straight at the said the PKK had ended its separatist agenda.'The main objective has been achieved – existence has been acknowledged,' he said. 'What remains would be excessive repetition and a dead end.'Ocalan added that Turkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM Party, the third largest in parliament in Ankara, should work alongside other political parties.
