PKK, a rebel group seeking an independent state called Kurdistan by armed struggle, has decided to give up fighting and move towards disarmament at a ceremony in Iraqi Kurdistan on Friday. The group has lost some 4000 fighters in its fight against Iraqi forces and Turkish and Syrian rebels while trying to create an autonomous state within these three countries.
During the recent Arab Spring demonstrations, which transformed into bloody conflict and later transcended the regional neighbours. The group played a pivotal role in defeating the Islamic State in both Iraq and Syria. The PKK is seen as a terrorist group by the Turkish state for its numerous attacks on Turkish soil since its inception in the 1970s.
Its leaders, who have been jailed for over 40 years, announced in May that they will now pursue democratic means to achieve and fulfil the desires of the ethnic community living in three countries. Abdullah Ocalan, pictured on the flag, founded the PKK in the late 1970s, with the Kurdish militant group taking up arms against the Turkish state in 1984.
The disarmament was a welcome step, said Turkish authorities in May and would pave the way for the development and peaceful co-existence in the diverse Middle Eastern region. One of the commanders of the group told reporters earlier last week that, "As a gesture of goodwill, several PKK fighters, who took part in fighting Turkish forces in recent years, will destroy or burn their weapons in a ceremony.”
The move is considered a key step in the months-long indirect negotiations between Ocalan and Ankara that began in October last year with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "The process will gain a little more speed when the terrorist organisation starts to implement its decision to lay down arms," Erdogan said at the weekend.
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