From: Inside Story
Why has the PKK ended its armed struggle?
Members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party lay down their arms after decades of war with Turkiye.
![SULAYMANIYAH, IRAQ - JULY 11: The first group of PKK terrorists, (listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the U.S. and the EU), lays down and destroys their weapons in Sulaymaniyah, northern Iraq on July 11, 2025. In May, the terror group PKK, decided to dissolve and lay down its arms. The announcement followed a February statement by jailed PKK ringleader Abdullah Ocalan, who called for the dissolution of the PKK and its affiliated groups, urging an end to the armed campaign that has lasted more than four decades. In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants and the elderly. [Anadolu Agency] (Anadolu)](/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/AA-20250711-38533469-38533468-FIRST_GROUP_OF_PKK_TERRORISTS_DESTROYS_THEIR_WEAPONS_IN_NORTHERN_IRAQ_cropped-1752251944.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
![Supporters of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdish PKK group, hold up a poster depicting his face, in Diyarbakir, Turkiye, on February 27, 2025 [Metin Yoksu/AP Photo]](/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/AP25184399456812-1752043510.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
![Turkish soldiers patrol the road near the Turkish-Iraq border in Silopi district in Sirnak city, Turkiye [File: Sedat Suna/EPA]](/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/7907101-1751895157.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
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