Dozens of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters, including women and senior commanders, laid down and burned their weapons today during a symbolic ceremony near Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan. The event follows the PKK’s announcement two months ago of an end to its four-decade-long armed insurgency against the Turkish state.
The ceremony, which the party described as a “historic operation,” is seen as a major milestone in the PKK’s transformation from armed rebellion to political engagement, marking a significant moment in efforts to resolve a conflict that has killed over 40,000 people since 1984.
A senior Turkish official, according to news agencies, called the move a “tangible and welcome step,” describing it as an “irreversible turning point” in the peace process. According to an AFP correspondent, 30 fighters, including four commanders, destroyed their weapons in front of hundreds of attendees, including officials, journalists, and Kurdish leaders.
The symbolic site near Jasna Cave, once home to one of the first Kurdish printing presses, hosted the fighters as they stepped onto a platform with a banner of PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan displayed behind them.
PKK leaders Besi Hozat and Bahçeşe Çarşıl delivered a joint statement in Kurdish and Turkish, calling the event a “historic democratic process” and expressing hope for peace, democracy, and equality. “This step will bring goodness, peace, and freedom,” the leaders declared.
Fighters then threw rifles and machine guns into a pit and set them on fire, before returning to their positions in the mountains of Iraq, according to party sources.
This ceremony follows a series of announcements by the PKK:
- February 27: Ocalan, from his prison cell, called for disarmament.
- March 1: The PKK declared a ceasefire.
- May 12: The party formally announced its dissolution and end of armed struggle.
The event was attended by high-ranking Kurdish figures, including Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Masoud Barzani, along with representatives of the Turkish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and Turkish intelligence officers.
President Nechirvan Barzani emphasized the Kurdistan Region’s “full commitment” to supporting the peace process.
Coinciding with the ceremony, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced that two drones were shot down near Peshmerga positions on the night of Thursday to Friday. No casualties or group responsibility were reported.
The PKK disarmament marks a new phase in indirect negotiations between Ocalan and Ankara, ongoing since October, and raises hopes for a sustainable peace in the region.
