Latest news with #Sulaimaniyah
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Kurdish PKK fighters destroy weapons at key ceremony
The PKK has taken several historic steps in recent months. (AFP pic) SULAIMANIYAH : Thirty PKK fighters destroyed their weapons at a ceremony in Iraqi Kurdistan today, two months after the Kurdish rebels ended their decades-long armed struggle against the Turkish state. The ceremony marks a turning point in the transition of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) from armed insurgency to democratic politics, as part of a broader effort to draw a line under one of the region's longest-running conflicts. Analysts say the PKK's military weakness makes disarmament a face-saving move, while allowing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to claim victory over a decades-long insurgency. At the brief ceremony, which took place in a cave in the mountains of northern Iraq, a first batch of 30 rebels were seen burning their weapons, an AFP correspondent at the scene said. 'Thirty PKK fighters, four of whom were commanders, burned their weapons,' said the correspondent who was present at the cave near the city of Sulaimaniyah, in the autonomous Kurdistan region in Iraq's north. Throughout the morning, cars could be seen pulling up to the Casene cave, a symbolic location that once housed a Kurdish printing press, Firat news agency said. Founded by Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK took up arms in 1984, beginning a string of bloody attacks on Turkish soil that sparked a conflict that cost more than 40,000 lives. But more than four decades on, the PKK in May announced its dissolution, saying it would pursue a democratic struggle to defend the rights of the Kurdish minority in line with a historic call by Ocalan, who has been serving a life sentence in Turkey since 1999. 'As a gesture of goodwill, a number of PKK fighters, who took part in fighting Turkish forces in recent years, will destroy or burn their weapons in a ceremony,' a PKK commander told AFP on July 1, speaking on condition of anonymity. Tensions rose ahead of the ceremony as two drones were shot down overnight near Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga bases, one in Sulaimaniyah, and the other in Kirkuk, according to officials who did not say was behind the attacks. No casualties were reported. 'Power of politics' At the ceremony were officials representing Nechirvan Barzani, president of Iraq's Kurdistan region, veteran Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Iraqi and Kurdistan interior ministries, an AFP correspondent said. Also present were several lawmakers from Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM party and a handful of journalists, with Turkish media saying representatives from Ankara's intelligence agency were also there. The start of the PKK's disarmament is a key step in the months-long indirect negotiations between Ocalan and Ankara that began in October with Erdogan's blessing, and have been facilitated by Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM party. 'I believe in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons. And I urge you to put this principle into practice,' Ocalan said in a video message released on Wednesday, pledging that the disarmament process would be 'implemented swiftly'. Erdogan said peace efforts with the Kurds would gain momentum after the PKK began laying down its weapons. 'The process will gain a little more speed when the terrorist organisation starts to implement its decision to lay down arms,' he said at the weekend. 'We hope this auspicious process will end successfully as soon as possible, without mishaps or sabotage attempts,' he added on Wednesday. In recent months, the PKK has taken several historic steps, starting with a ceasefire and culminating in its formal dissolution announced on May 12. The shift followed an appeal on Feb 27 by Ocalan, who has spent the past 26 years in solitary confinement on Imrali prison island near Istanbul.
LBCI
4 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Kurdish PKK fighters burn their weapons at Iraq ceremony: AFP
Thirty Kurdish PKK fighters destroyed their weapons at a ceremony in mountainous Iraqi Kurdistan on Friday, an AFP correspondent said. "Thirty PKK fighters, four of whom were commanders, burned their weapons," said the correspondent who was present at the brief ceremony in a cave near the city of Sulaimaniyah in the autonomous Kurdistan region in Iraq's north. AFP
Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Kurdish PKK fighters to begin disarming at key ceremony
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq: PKK fighters were to begin laying down their weapons at a ceremony in Iraqi Kurdistan Friday, two months after the Kurdish rebels ended their decades-long armed struggle against the Turkish state. The disarmament ceremony marks a turning point in the transition of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) from armed insurgency to democratic politics, as part of a broader effort to draw a line under one of the region's longest-running conflicts. Founded in the late 1970s by Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK took up arms in 1984, beginning a string of bloody attacks on Turkish soil that sparked a conflict that cost more than 40,000 lives. But more than four decades on, the PKK in May announced its dissolution, saying it would pursue a democratic struggle to defend the rights of the Kurdish minority in line with a historic call by Ocalan, who has been serving a life sentence in Turkiye since 1999. Friday's ceremony was to take place during the morning at an undisclosed location in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan — where most of the PKK's fighters have been holed up for the past decade — near the northeastern city of Sulaimaniyah. Although there were limited details about the ceremony, a PKK source said around 30 fighters would destroy their weapons and then return to the mountains. 'As a gesture of goodwill, a number of PKK fighters, who took part in fighting Turkish forces in recent years, will destroy or burn their weapons in a ceremony,' a PKK commander said on July 1, speaking on condition of anonymity. But tensions rose ahead of the ceremony as two drones were shot down overnight near Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga bases, one in Sulaimaniyah, and the other in Kirkuk to the west, according to officials who did not say was behind the attacks. No casualties were reported. The start of the PKK's disarmament is a key step in the months-long indirect negotiations between Ocalan and Ankara that began in October with the blessing of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and have been facilitated by Turkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM party. Among those expected to attend the ceremony were several DEM lawmakers, who arrived in Sulaimaniyah on Thursday, and a handful of journalists. It was not clear whether the ceremony would be broadcast live. 'I believe in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons. And I urge you to put this principle into practice,' Ocalan said in a video message released on Wednesday, pledging that the disarmament process would be 'implemented swiftly.' Erdogan said peace efforts with the Kurds would gain momentum after the PKK began laying down its weapons. 'The process will gain a little more speed when the terrorist organization starts to implement its decision to lay down arms,' he said at the weekend. 'We hope this auspicious process will end successfully as soon as possible, without mishaps or sabotage attempts,' he added on Wednesday. In recent months, the PKK has taken several historic steps, starting with a ceasefire and culminating in its formal dissolution announced on May 12. The shift followed an appeal on February 27 by Ocalan, who has spent the past 26 years in solitary confinement on Imrali prison island near Istanbul.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Kurdish PKK fighters to begin disarming at key ceremony
PKK fighters were to begin laying down their weapons at a ceremony in Iraqi Kurdistan Friday, two months after the Kurdish rebels ended their decades-long armed struggle against the Turkish state. The disarmament ceremony marks a turning point in the transition of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) from armed insurgency to democratic politics, as part of a broader effort to draw a line under one of the region's longest-running conflicts. Founded in the late 1970s by Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK took up arms in 1984, beginning a string of bloody attacks on Turkish soil that sparked a conflict that cost more than 40,000 lives. But more than four decades on, the PKK in May announced its dissolution, saying it would pursue a democratic struggle to defend the rights of the Kurdish minority in line with a historic call by Ocalan, who has been serving a life sentence in Turkey since 1999. Friday's ceremony was to take place during the morning at an undisclosed location in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan -- where most of the PKK's fighters have been holed up for the past decade -- near the northeastern city of Sulaimaniyah. Although there were limited details about the ceremony, a PKK source told AFP around 30 fighters would destroy their weapons and then return to the mountains. "As a gesture of goodwill, a number of PKK fighters, who took part in fighting Turkish forces in recent years, will destroy or burn their weapons in a ceremony," a PKK commander told AFP on July 1, speaking on condition of anonymity. - 'Power of politics' - The move is a key step in the months-long indirect negotiations between Ocalan and Ankara that began in October with the blessing of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and have been facilitated by Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM party. Among those expected to attend the ceremony were several DEM lawmakers, who arrived in Sulaimaniyah on Thursday, and a handful of journalists. It was not clear whether the ceremony would be broadcast live. "I believe in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons. And I urge you to put this principle into practice," Ocalan said in a video message released on Wednesday, pledging that the disarmament process would be "implemented swiftly". Erdogan said peace efforts with the Kurds would gain momentum after the PKK began laying down its weapons. "The process will gain a little more speed when the terrorist organisation starts to implement its decision to lay down arms," he said at the weekend. "We hope this auspicious process will end successfully as soon as possible, without mishaps or sabotage attempts," he added on Wednesday. In recent months, the PKK has taken several historic steps, starting with a ceasefire and culminating in its formal dissolution announced on May 12. The shift followed an appeal on February 27 by Ocalan, who has spent the past 26 years in solitary confinement on Imrali prison island near Istanbul. rh-hmw/ysm/sco
France 24
5 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Kurdish PKK fighters to begin disarming at key ceremony
The disarmament ceremony marks a turning point in the transition of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) from armed insurgency to democratic politics, as part of a broader effort to draw a line under one of the region's longest-running conflicts. Founded in the late 1970s by Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK took up arms in 1984, beginning a string of bloody attacks on Turkish soil that sparked a conflict that cost more than 40,000 lives. But more than four decades on, the PKK in May announced its dissolution, saying it would pursue a democratic struggle to defend the rights of the Kurdish minority in line with a historic call by Ocalan, who has been serving a life sentence in Turkey since 1999. Friday's ceremony was to take place during the morning at an undisclosed location in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan -- where most of the PKK's fighters have been holed up for the past decade -- near the northeastern city of Sulaimaniyah. Although there were limited details about the ceremony, a PKK source told AFP around 30 fighters would destroy their weapons and then return to the mountains. "As a gesture of goodwill, a number of PKK fighters, who took part in fighting Turkish forces in recent years, will destroy or burn their weapons in a ceremony," a PKK commander told AFP on July 1, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'Power of politics' The move is a key step in the months-long indirect negotiations between Ocalan and Ankara that began in October with the blessing of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and have been facilitated by Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM party. Among those expected to attend the ceremony were several DEM lawmakers, who arrived in Sulaimaniyah on Thursday, and a handful of journalists. It was not clear whether the ceremony would be broadcast live. "I believe in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons. And I urge you to put this principle into practice," Ocalan said in a video message released on Wednesday, pledging that the disarmament process would be "implemented swiftly". Erdogan said peace efforts with the Kurds would gain momentum after the PKK began laying down its weapons. "The process will gain a little more speed when the terrorist organisation starts to implement its decision to lay down arms," he said at the weekend. "We hope this auspicious process will end successfully as soon as possible, without mishaps or sabotage attempts," he added on Wednesday. In recent months, the PKK has taken several historic steps, starting with a ceasefire and culminating in its formal dissolution announced on May 12. The shift followed an appeal on February 27 by Ocalan, who has spent the past 26 years in solitary confinement on Imrali prison island near Istanbul.
