The Kurdistan Workers’ Party will start laying down its weapons in a tightly guarded ceremony near Suleymaniyah in Iraq on Friday, launching what Ankara and Kurdish leaders call the first real step towards ending more than 40 years of conflict that has claimed more than 40,000 lives.
A small PKK delegation is expected to surrender arms at an undisclosed site in Iraq’s Kurdish region before returning to its mountain bases, officials briefed on the arrangements said. Broader disarmament points—jointly overseen by the Turkish, Iraqi and Kurdistan regional authorities—are due to operate throughout the summer.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the move as “totally ripping off and throwing away the bloody shackles that were put on our country’s legs,” describing it as an historic chance to dismantle what Türkiye, the U.S., the EU and the UK classify as a terrorist organisation.
Imprisoned PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan, held in solitary confinement on Imrali Island since 1999, urged the group in a rare video message “to put politics and social peace, not weapons, into practice.” Kurdish analysts say the 76-year-old still commands decisive authority among supporters.
The latest push follows an initiative by nationalist leader Devlet Bahçeli last October to create a “terror-free Türkiye.” Ocalan’s February letter calling for the PKK to dissolve itself paved the way for a unilateral ceasefire and Friday’s ceremony.
A parliamentary commission in Ankara will draft next steps after the summer recess, though officials stress no decision on easing Ocalan’s prison terms—or any wider amnesty—will be taken before MPs vote on the panel’s recommendations.
If successful, analysts say the demobilisation could reshape security dynamics not only in Türkiye but also in neighbouring Iraq, Syria and Iran, where PKK-linked groups operate.
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Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
Russian authorities have reported attacks on voting systems and communication lines as the country’s parliamentary election entered its second day on Saturday (19 September).
The Left Party won Sunday's Berlin state election with 25.5 per cent of the vote in the preliminary result, ahead of the Christian Democrats (CDU) on 19.1 per cent. This marks a major shift in the city's political landscape and a setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's ruling coalition.
A group of French nationals, suspected of belonging to the Islamic State (IS), on trial in Iraq could face execution, a member of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council told a hearing in Baghdad on Sunday.
Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Service has said.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has prepared sanctions targeting the entire International Criminal Court (ICC) and could announce them soon, escalating Washington's efforts to pressure the global tribunal.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged closer ties on Sunday as they sought to strengthen cooperation on geopolitical tensions, climate change, energy and the protection of democratic values.
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