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PKK in Iraq begins arms surrender after decades of conflict with Turkey

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 03 July 2025 2:41 PM

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group has announced that its members in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous Kurdistan region will commence the process of surrendering their weapons, marking the initial tangible move towards disarmament within the framework of a peace initiative.

"A group of guerrilla fighters will come down from the mountains and will bid farewell to their arms in an effort to declare their goodwill for peace and democratic politics," the PKK said in a statement on Thursday.

The ceremony, which is expected to take place between July 10 and July 12 in the city of Sulaymaniyah, will be the first concrete move toward disarmament.

An official from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), who spoke on condition of anonymity, indicated that approximately 40 members of the PKK are anticipated to surrender their light arms to the regional administration.

The Iraqi Kurdish region is primarily controlled by two political parties: the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The KDP manages the regional capital, Erbil, along with the city of Dohuk. Meanwhile, the PUK is responsible for the governance of Sulaymaniyah.

The KDP maintains positive relations with Turkey and has had conflicts with the PKK, whereas the PUK has a closer association with the PKK.

On Monday, Omer Celik, who serves as a spokesperson for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), stated that the PKK might commence the handover of arms "within days," although he did not offer any specifics.

Celik added that the Turkish leader would meet with members of the pro-Kurdish party next week to discuss the peace effort.

Last year, the Iraqi government in Baghdad declared an official prohibition on the separatist group, which has long been banned in Turkey.

On May 12, the PKK, founded in the late 1970s by Abdullah Ocalan, adopted a decision to disarm and disband.

The historic decision came after Ocalan called on his Kurdish group to lay down arms and dissolve in order to end four decades of conflict, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

In a message from his prison on an island off Istanbul, Ocalan said that the PKK should hold a congress and decide to disband. Now 75, Ocalan has been held in solitary confinement since 1999 on Imrali prison island.

Erdogan hailed the move as an "important decision for maintaining peace and fraternity" in the country.

The PKK decision was also welcomed by top officials in Syria and Iraq, as well as the European Union and the United Nations.