Latest news with #KurdishMilitants
LBCI
11-07-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
PKK says destroying arms 'a historic, democratic move'
The PKK's move to begin destroying its weapons was a "historic" act that it hoped would bring peace, the Kurdish militants said on destroying a first batch of guns at a ceremony. The move was "a historic, democratic move," they said in a statement read out in a cave in Iraqi Kurdistan, expressing hope that it would "bring about peace and freedom." AFP
CTV News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Jailed Kurdish militant leader urges PKK fighters to disarm before a symbolic peace ceremony
Youngsters hold a photograph of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the militant Kurdish group, or PKK, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Metin Yoksu) ANKARA, TURKIYE — The jailed leader of a Kurdish militant group renewed Wednesday a call for his fighters to lay down their arms, days before a symbolic disarmament ceremony is expected to take place as a first concrete step in a peace process with the Turkish state. In a seven-minute video message broadcast on media close to the militants, Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, declared that the peace initiative had reached a stage that required practical steps. 'It should be considered natural for you to publicly ensure the disarmament of the relevant groups in a way that addresses the expectations of the (Turkish parliament) and its commission, dispels public doubts, and fulfills our commitments,' Ocalan said. 'I believe in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons. And I call on you to put this principle into practice.' In his video message — his first public appearance since being seen during his trial more than two decades ago — Ocalan, 76, also expressed his support for the establishment of a parliamentary committee to help oversee the peace initiative. The PKK leader, who has been imprisoned on an island near Istanbul since 1999, first urged the PKK in February to convene a congress and formally dissolve itself. Responding to his call, the PKK announced in May that it would disband and renounce armed conflict, ending four decades of hostilities. Ocalan's call to end the fighting marked a pivotal step toward ending the decades-long conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s. His message broadcast on Wednesday appeared to be aimed at convincing fighters who may still be hesitant about abandoning armed struggle. He delivered his message flanked by fellow inmates. In a speech to lawmakers from his ruling party, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he expected imminent progress in the peace initiative, adding that once firmly established, the effort would benefit not only Turkiye but the broader region. Erdogan also expressed hope that the process would advance without attempts to sabotage it. 'Once the wall of terror is torn town, God willing, everything will change. More pain and tears will be prevented,' Erdogan said. 'The winners of this (process) will be the whole of Turkiye — Turks, Kurds and Arabs. Then it will be our entire region.' 'We hope that this auspicious process will conclude successfully as soon as possible, without any road accidents, and without it being sabotaged by dark and corrupt circles,' he said. In a first step toward the PKK's disarmament process, a group of its fighters is expected later this week to lay down their arms in a symbolic ceremony to be held in Sulaymaniyah, in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Aysegul Dogan, the spokeswoman for Turkiye's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party said the symbolic laying down of arms would take place on Friday. 'We consider this to be a historic moment and a historic development,' she said, adding that representatives from the party would travel to Sulaymaniyah to witness the event. Zagros Hiwar, a PKK spokesman, said that a group of 20 to 30 fighters would descend from the mountains and destroy their weapons in front of civil society organizations and invited observers. 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. The Iraqi government in Baghdad announced last year an official ban on the separatist group, which has long been prohibited in Turkiye. On Tuesday, Turkiye's intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, traveled to Baghdad to discuss the peace process and other security issues with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and other officials, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. The Associated Press
Al Arabiya
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Turkey's pro-Kurdish party confirms PKK to start weapons handover on Friday
Outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants will begin handing over weapons in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah on Friday as part of a peace process with Turkey, a spokesperson for Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM party said on Wednesday. Speaking in Ankara, Aysegul Dogan said the PKK's disarmament process must be made permanent through a series of legal assurances and with the formation of necessary mechanisms for a transition to democratic politics. Dogan added that DEM members would attend the ceremony in Sulaymaniyah, along with a group of PKK militants, but said that she did not have further information about the process.
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
At least 12 soldiers are gassed to death in a cave after being exposed to deadly methane during hunt for fallen comrade
Twelve Turkish soldiers have died after being exposed to methane gas while searching caves in northern Iraq on Sunday. The troops had been deployed to locate the remains of a comrade who was killed in a clash with Kurdish militants more than three years ago. The Turkish Ministry of Defence said 19 soldiers were affected by the gas leak during the operation. In an update posted on X, before the latest tally, the ministry said: 'Three other of our heroic comrades in arms have lost their lives, bringing the total number of martyrs to eight.' The soldiers had entered the cave complex during a search mission for the body of a Turkish soldier shot dead by fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in May 2022. Officials said the cave was previously used as a makeshift hospital by PKK militants, who have long operated in the remote terrain along the Turkey-Iraq border. So far, the source of the methane gas is still unclear. The operation is part of Turkey's wider military campaign against the PKK, designated a terrorist organisation by Ankara, the United States and the European Union. The troops were on the hunt for the body of their comrade, who had been shot dead in May 2002 The campaign, known as Operation Claw-Lock, was launched in April 2022 and aims to root out Kurdish fighters based in caves. The incident comes at a politically sensitive time for Turkey, with discussions reportedly under way to revive peace talks with Kurdish representatives. The conflict with the PKK has raged since 1984 and has claimed more than 40,000 lives, including civilians, militants and Turkish security forces. On the same day news of the gas deaths emerged, members of Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party attempted to make contact with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. Ocalan, who helped found the militant group in the late 1970s, has been imprisoned since 1999 and held in near-total isolation for years.
Washington Post
07-07-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
3 more Turkish soldiers die from methane gas in Iraqi cave, raising deaths to 8
ANKARA, Turkey — Three more Turkish soldiers have died from methane gas poisoning following a cave search operation in northern Iraq, Turkey's Defense Ministry said Monday, bringing the death toll to eight. The soldiers had been searching for the remains of a fellow soldier previously killed by Kurdish militants. The troops were searching a mountain cave when 19 of them were exposed to the gas, according to the ministry. Five of the soldiers died Sunday from the colorless, odorless, flammable gas that can cause asphyxiation in sufficient concentration, and three more succumbed on Monday.
