Thirty PKK members, half of them women, publicly destroyed their guns on Friday in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah province, the clearest sign yet that the outlawed group is moving to dismantle its four-decade armed campaign.
The fighters emerged from a cave in the Surdas sub-district before hurling rifles and grenades into a blazing cauldron, according to footage released by Türkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency. A senior commander then read a joint statement in Turkish and Kurdish declaring the “end of armed struggle.”
Officials from Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organisation, Iraqi security services and the semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Government witnessed the event, alongside members of Türkiye’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party and local NGOs.
Ankara says the gesture follows the PKK’s formal decision in May to dissolve its military wing, announced three months after jailed founder Abdullah Ocalan urged an unconditional ceasefire from his cell on İmralı island.
The conflict between the PKK and the Turkish state has killed more than 40,000 people since 1984, government figures show. The group, which operates from mountain bases in northern Iraq, is designated a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the U.S. and the European Union.
While Friday’s ceremony marks the first verified surrender of weapons, analysts cautioned that splinter factions could resist the move. No timetable has been set for the handover of remaining fighters or for political talks with Ankara.
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Iran's Foreign Affairs Spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Saturday (25 April) that there were no plans to meet with the U.S. in Islamabad, despite Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landing in the Pakistani capital late on Friday. Araghchi said he was visiting Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow.
Diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war are intensifying, with the White House confirming that U.S. President Donald Trump will send special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner to Islamabad for talks with Iran under Pakistani mediation.
Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner will travel to Islamabad on Saturday for Pakistan-mediated talks with Iran, the White House said.
The U.S. and the European Union are set to sign a memorandum of understanding on Friday to establish a partnership on the procurement and production of critical minerals, the U.S. State Department confirmed late on Thursday.
Two local trains collided head-on north of Copenhagen on Thursday (23 April), injuring 17 people, five of them critically, according to emergency services.
The U.S. military is redirecting at least three Iranian-flagged tankers after intercepting them in Asian waters near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Tehran said U.S. breaches, blockades and threats are undermining “genuine negotiations.”
Diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war are intensifying, with the White House confirming that U.S. President Donald Trump will send special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner to Islamabad for talks with Iran under Pakistani mediation.
The European Union is preparing its 20th round of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine. The measures are close to being approved, after earlier delays linked to energy concerns in Slovakia and Hungary eased following repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline.
Russian emergency services have contained a major fire at the Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea coast, local officials said on Thursday, ending a four-day effort after a Ukrainian drone strike.
China has urged the European Union to take its concerns seriously over new cybersecurity and digital regulations, warning they could create difficulties for Chinese companies operating in Europe.
Russia and Ukraine have swapped prisoners of war, according to officials on both sides. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 193 prisoners, including soldiers and border guards, had been returned from Russia, some injured and facing criminal charges.
Türkiye and the United Kingdom on Thursday signed a wide-ranging strategic partnership agreement to boost bilateral cooperation, especially in defence. The deal, signed in London, signals a “new era” in relations between the two NATO allies.
The U.S. and the European Union are set to sign a memorandum of understanding on Friday to establish a partnership on the procurement and production of critical minerals, the U.S. State Department confirmed late on Thursday.
Russian emergency services have contained a major fire at the Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea coast, local officials said on Thursday, ending a four-day effort after a Ukrainian drone strike.
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