Footage of PKK members disarming in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah region has been released, APA reports.
The footage shows PKK members burning their weapons.
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13:15
The disarmament process of a group of PKK terrorists in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah region has been completed, APA reports, citing Turkish media.
The delegation witnessing the process has left the area.
It was noted that 30 PKK members, including 4 commanders, burned their weapons as part of the disarmament process.
The disarmed PKK group issued a statement declaring that they destroyed their weapons voluntarily in order to continue their struggle through legal means.
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12:23
A group of PKK terrorists has begun disarmament in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah region, APA’s Istanbul correspondent reports.
The disarmament process took place with the participation and oversight of the Turkish side.
New call for disarmament from Abdullah Öcalan
Note that two days ago, Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the PKK terrorist organization, called on his supporters to “lay down their arms”.
Appeal via video link from Imrali
Speaking to PKK members via video link from Imralı, Öcalan called on them to immediately begin the disarmament process.
“I believe not in the power of weapons, but in the power of politics and social peace. I urge you to adhere to this principle,” the PKK leader said in his statement.
PKK’s abandonment of military strategy
Abdullah Öcalan stated that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has abandoned its goal of creating a national state and renounced its main military strategy, effectively ending its armed existence.
Previous calls and negotiation process
Earlier, Öcalan called on his supporters to “lay down arms.” The leadership of the Democratic Party (DEM) has been negotiating with Öcalan on Imrali Island. The President of Türkiye has also received the DEM delegation several times.
Abdullah Öcalan’s imprisonment history
To recall, PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan has been held in İmralı Prison for 26 years. He was captured in Kenya in February 1999 during an operation by the Turkish National Intelligence Organization and brought to Türkiye. Although he was initially sentenced to death, the verdict was later commuted to life imprisonment.
