Fighters from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, began a symbolic disarmament process Friday in northern Iraq, marking the group’s first public step in ending a four-decade armed campaign against the Turkish state.
About 30 fighters, including senior commanders and female militants, gathered near Jasana cave, about 30 miles northwest of Sulaimaniyah, to burn their weapons in a large metal cauldron. AK-47 rifles, ammunition belts and other arms were placed into the fire as Kurdish, Iraqi and Turkish officials observed.
#Turkey 🇹🇷: 30 militants and high-ranked commanders of “Kurdistan Workers’ Party” (#PKK) burned their weapons in #Kurdistan Reg Gov as a part of Peace Process.
A #USA-made 🇺🇸 M16A2 rifle and #Poland-made 🇵🇱 Kbk wz. 88 ‘Tantal’ rifle can be seen among the destroyed weapons. pic.twitter.com/Xw1Bw9WJsc
— War Noir (@war_noir) July 11, 2025
“We voluntarily destroy our weapons, before your presence, as a step of goodwill and determination,” the group said in a statement during the ceremony, calling it “a historic, democratic step.”
The PKK said the process will continue throughout the summer at designated locations in coordination with the governments of Turkiye, Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government. The disarmament follows a May declaration by the group to end its armed struggle, which began in 1984 and has killed more than 40,000 people.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the development. “This is totally ripping off and throwing away the bloody shackles that were put on our country’s legs,” he said, calling it “an important step towards our goal of a terror-free Turkey.”
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom. The group has fought primarily for Kurdish autonomy and political rights in southeastern Turkey, with affiliated movements active in Iraq, Syria and Iran.
The pro-Kurdish DEM Party, which sent representatives to the event, called the ceremony a political milestone. “With the PKK’s arms burning ceremony, we are entering a new era for a solution to the Kurdish issue and the construction of a democratic Turkiye,” the party said in a statement.
The ceremony was held under tight security and limited media access. A small group of Turkish and Iraqi officials, journalists, and DEM lawmakers were escorted to the site.
PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan, who has been held in solitary confinement on Imrali Island since his capture in 1999, remains a symbolic leader for the group. In a recorded video aired earlier this week by the PKK-linked Firat News Agency, Ocalan described the shift as “a voluntary transition from the phase of armed conflict to the phase of democratic politics and law,” calling it “a historic gain.”
Al Jazeera correspondent Mahmoud Abdelwahed described the event as “highly symbolic” but cautioned that the future remains uncertain. “This is just the beginning and it seems there’s a long way to go,” he said. “The PKK also have demands, including the release of their leader Abdullah Ocalan.”
