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 destroying 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.
‘There’s a long way to go’
Reporting from Sulaymaniyah, Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed described the event as “highly symbolic”, with senior figures from both the federal Iraqi government and the semi-autonomous Kurdish regional government in attendance.
Abdelwahed noted that while this marks a significant moment, the road ahead remains uncertain. “This is just the beginning and it seems there’s a long way to go,” he explained. “The PKK also have demands, including the release of their leader Abdullah Ocalan. They want him to come here to northern Iraq and lead, as they say, the democratic process.”
Abdelwahed added that the development signals a major shift for Iraq, where the PKK was officially designated a banned organisation in April last year following a high-level security meeting between Iraqi and Turkish officials.
Speaking from Istanbul, Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu said Ankara views developments in Sulaymaniyah as a major step forward in ending the conflict that has dragged on for decades. “What is happening in Sulaymaniyah is being seen by Ankara as a critical breakthrough in the decade-long conflict that cost tens of thousands of lives, both from the Turkish side and the Kurdish side,” she said.
The move follows months of direct talks between Turkish officials and Ocalan.
Koseoglu highlighted the political significance of this moment within Turkiye. “This is an important step that Turkish President Erdogan approved this process,” she said, noting that even traditionally hardline groups have shifted position.
“The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which once denounced peace efforts as ‘treason’, now supports the process.”
The pro-Kurdish DEM Party is playing a key facilitation role, and the main opposition CHP — once highly critical of earlier peace attempts — now says it supports efforts to achieve peace noted Koseoglu.
‘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.”
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