In a historic move towards peace, fighters from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have begun destroying their weapons in a ceremonial act in Northern Iraq.
Early on Friday, militant fighters threw their arms into a symbolic fire in the mountains northwest of Sulaymaniyah, a region that has served as the PKK’s refuge for the past decade. This act follows the PKK’s decision in May to disarm after four decades of conflict with the Turkish government.
The disarmament comes after the PKK’s jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, announced that the armed struggle with Ankara was over. Speaking via video link from his prison on Imrali Island in the Sea of Marmara, Ocalan told supporters that it was time for the Kurdish pursuit of autonomy to be “voluntarily replaced by a phase of democratic politics and law.”
This significant development is the result of months of secret negotiations between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Kurdish fighters. Erdogan, who governs in coalition with the right-wing Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), expressed optimism, stating that Türkiye was “ripping off and throwing away the bloody shackles that were put on our country’s legs.”
While the specifics of the agreement remain undisclosed, Erdogan has pledged to reboot the Kurdish peace process following disarmament. There is hope among Kurds that this could lead to the release of prominent political prisoners, including Selahattin Demirtas, former chair of the main Kurdish political party.
However, the move has stirred mixed reactions. Turkish nationalist circles are angered by the government’s outreach to the PKK, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the EU. Conversely, some Kurds are skeptical of Erdogan’s intentions, wary of laying down arms without clear concessions, especially amid ongoing crackdowns against the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and fears of a potential power grab ahead of early elections set for 2027.
President Erdogan, who once declared he would drink “hemlock poison” to resolve the decades-old Kurdish dispute, emphasizes the broader benefits of peace. The hope is that ending the armed struggle will allow billions previously spent on military efforts to be redirected towards revitalizing Türkiye’s struggling economy. Developing the impoverished Kurdish southeast could pave the way for lasting peace in a region long troubled by one of the most enduring conflicts.
