US EditionPKK Disbands After Four Decades of Armed Conflict with Turkey
- The Kurdistan Workers' Party announced its formal dissolution and end to armed conflict on May 12, 2025, after a four-decade insurgency primarily affecting Turkey and its neighbors.
- This decision followed Abdullah Ocalan's February 27 call from prison urging the group to disarm and dissolve, amid renewed peace talks and political shifts in Turkey.
- The PKK, founded in 1978 by Ocalan to secure Kurdish rights, began armed attacks in 1984, culminating in a conflict that claimed over 40,000 lives across Turkey, Iraq, and Syria.
- Omer Celik, spokesman for Erdogan's AKP party, called the move an 'important step' toward a terror-free Turkey and pledged careful governmental monitoring of the implementation process.
- The PKK's dissolution raises prospects for regional stability and could strengthen Erdogan's position by fostering Kurdish support ahead of future elections with a divided opposition.
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Turkey eyes legal steps after Kurdish militant group PKK disbands
After the decision by the Kurdish militant group PKK to disband, Turkey was eyeing Wednesday a raft of legal and technical measures to ensure its full implementation and finally end a four-decade insurgency.
In an unexpected turn, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) announced its dissolution and the abandonment of the armed struggle, a decision that marks a turning point in the recent history of Türkiye. The announcement was made official on 12 May, following a congress held between 5 and 7 May, convened by the founder and historic leader of the PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, who is serving life imprisonment. READ ALSO: Vladimir Putin proposed to resume talks …
Why Turkey's Kurdish insurgents are laying down their arms
The Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the PKK, has announced that it will disband and disarm, potentially ending four decades of bloody conflict with Turkey.The militant group said that "all activities" conducted under its name would come to an end after a call by its jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan, in February for it to disarm. The PKK has "completed its historical mission", said a statement published by a news agency close to the group, and t…
After the detained PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan called for the release of the weapons at the end of February, this week the resolution of the self-dissolution of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party became known.
The Kurdistan Workers' Party announces its dissolution. Its »historic mission« is fulfilled. Turkish officials see new chapter opened.
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