President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed hope that the latest developments regarding the PKK terrorist group's first step toward its dissolution will yield “positive results” on the path to a terrorism-free Türkiye.
“I wish success from God on this journey to ensure our nation’s security, our people’s peace, and the establishment of lasting peace in our region,” Erdoğan said in a statement on the social media platform X.
Communications Director Burhanettin Duran also welcomed the move, saying a future without terrorism will help Türkiye grow stronger and fulfill its “Century of Türkiye” vision through national unity and solidarity.
Roughly 30 PKK terrorists — many of whom had fought Turkish security forces in recent years — gathered in a cave near Sulaymaniyah and destroyed their arms by throwing them into a large burning cauldron, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondent at the scene.
The disarmament follows a major announcement in May, when the terrorist group declared plans to dissolve and abandon its armed campaign. The move came after a February message by jailed PKK ringleader Abdullah Öcalan, who called for the group’s dissolution and urged affiliated groups to lay down arms.
Next steps are now awaited in the terror-free Türkiye initiative that culminated in the landmark development.
The PKK’s senior members are not expected to be allowed into Türkiye, but the lower cadres could be admitted after necessary legal procedures.
The PKK has been based in northern Iraq’s mountainous regions, chiefly Qandil, after being pushed well beyond Türkiye’s southeastern frontier in recent years. Türkiye’s military has regularly carried out operations and strikes on PKK bases in the region and established several military outposts there.
The PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union — has waged a bloody campaign against Türkiye for more than 40 years. The group has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and the elderly.
