Kurdish PKK Fighters Incinerate Weapons in Iraq to Initiate Disarmament
A group of individuals gathered around Kurdish security forces at a checkpoint during a disarmament ceremony for members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), marking a significant step towards addressing the long-standing conflict between Turkey and the banned group, near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.
On Friday, thirty PKK fighters ignited their weapons at the entrance of a cave in northern Iraq, symbolizing a meaningful yet symbolic action aimed at ending a decades-long insurgency against Turkey.
Footage from the event showed the fighters, half of whom were women, forming a line to place AK-47 rifles, ammunition belts, and other firearms into a large gray cauldron. Flames then engulfed the black gun barrels pointed skyward, while officials from Kurdish, Iraqi, and Turkish backgrounds observed from a distance.
The PKK, which has been in conflict with the Turkish government and has been classified as illegal since 1984, declared in May its intention to disband, disarm, and halt its separatist activities following a public appeal from its long-imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan.
Given the history of unsuccessful peace efforts, this new initiative may present opportunities for Ankara to resolve an insurgency that has led to over 40,000 deaths, strained the economy, and created significant social and political divisions in Turkey and the surrounding area.
President Tayyip Erdogan expressed optimism that the PKK’s dissolution would improve Turkish security and regional stability.
“May God grant us success in achieving our goals on this path we walk for the security of our country, the peace of our nation, and the establishment of lasting peace in our region,” he stated on X.
The ceremony occurred at the entrance of the Jasana cave in Dukan, situated 60 km (37 miles) northwest of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
The fighters, clad in beige military uniforms, were accompanied by four commanders, including notable PKK figure Bese Hozat, who delivered a statement in Turkish announcing the group’s decision to disarm.
“We voluntarily destroy our weapons, in your presence, as a gesture of goodwill and determination,” she stated, followed by another commander conveying the same message in Kurdish. Helicopters flew overhead, while numerous Iraqi Kurdish security forces surrounded the mountainous area, according to a witness from Reuters.
The event was attended by intelligence officials from Turkey and Iraq, representatives from Iraq’s Kurdistan regional government, and senior members of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish DEM party, which played a crucial role in facilitating the PKK’s disarmament decision this year.
It remains unclear when further handovers will take place.
A senior Turkish official described the arms surrender as an “irreversible turning point” in the peace process, while another government source indicated that subsequent actions would involve the legal reintegration of PKK members into Turkish society and initiatives aimed at community healing and reconciliation.
WIDER SIGNIFICANCE
The PKK has established its base in northern Iraq after being pushed beyond Turkey’s southeastern borders in recent years. The Turkish military frequently conducts operations against PKK positions in the area and has established several military outposts there.
Resolving Turkey’s conflict with the PKK, a NATO member, could have ramifications throughout the region, including in neighboring Syria, where the United States collaborates with Syrian Kurdish forces that Turkey views as an extension of the PKK.
Both Washington and Ankara are eager for these Kurdish groups to quickly integrate into Syria’s security framework, which has been evolving since the fall of autocratic President Bashar al-Assad in December. Analysts suggest that the disarmament of the PKK could heighten this pressure.
The PKK, DEM, and Ocalan have all urged Erdogan’s administration to address Kurdish demands for enhanced rights in regions where Kurds are the majority, particularly in Turkey’s southeast, the center of the insurgency.
In a rare online video released on Wednesday, Ocalan—whose large image was displayed at the weapons ceremony—also called for Turkey’s parliament to establish a commission to oversee disarmament and manage the broader peace process.
Ankara has begun taking steps to form this commission, while the DEM and Ocalan have indicated that legal guarantees and specific mechanisms are necessary to facilitate the PKK’s transition into democratic politics.
Omer Celik, spokesperson for Erdogan’s AK Party, stated that the ceremony represented an initial step toward complete disarmament and a “terror-free Turkey,” emphasizing that this process must be finalized “in a short time.”
Erdogan has asserted that disarmament will enable the reconstruction of Turkey’s southeastern region.
According to Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, Turkey has invested nearly $1.8 trillion over the past fifty years in combating terrorism.
