PKK fighters to begin disarming in Iraq from July 3-10
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A group of 20 to 30 PKK fighters is set to surrender arms in Sulaymaniyah province between July 3 and 10, following a new message from Abdullah Ocalan.
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Kurdish activist holds Kurdistan Workers Party, PKK, flag stage a protest against the recent shooting at the Kurdish culture center next to the Republique square statue at in Paris, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. (AP)
An initial group of 20 to 30 fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) will surrender their weapons in Iraq's Sulaymaniyah province between July 3 and July 10, according to the Rudaw broadcaster, citing unnamed sources.
The report noted on Monday that a new message from PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to party members will be published in the coming days, after which the disarmament process will begin.
The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which began in 1984 and reignited in 2015, saw Turkey carry out military operations, including "Olive Branch" and "Peace Spring" in Syria during 2018 and 2019, followed by "Operation Claw-Lock" in Iraq in 2022, despite objections from Damascus and Baghdad.
On March 1, the PKK declared a ceasefire with Turkey, following a call by its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, who is serving a life sentence, for the group's dissolution and disarmament.
PKK announces its dissolution, end of armed struggle
On May 12, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) declared its decision to dissolve the organization and terminate its armed campaign against Turkey, marking a potential end to the violent confrontations that began in 1984 and have resulted in more than 40,000 casualties over the past four decades.
In a statement published by the pro-Kurdish ANF news agency, the group announced that "the 12th PKK Congress has decided to dissolve the PKK's organisational structure and end its method of armed struggle," confirming the cessation of its decades-long armed campaign.
The statement declared that "the PKK has completed its historic mission," while also asserting that the group's struggle "has broken the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and brought the Kurdish issue to a point of solving it through democratic politics," framing these developments as a transition from armed resistance to political engagement.
This development followed an appeal by Abdullah Ocalan on February 27 from Imrali prison island, where he has been held since 1999, in which he urged PKK fighters to disarm and called for a congress to formalize the decision, a process that culminated last week with the meeting in Iraq's Kandil mountains, traditionally a PKK stronghold.
