Kurdish leader urges fighters to disarm after decades-long insurgency with Turkey
The imprisoned leader of a Kurdish militant group called for fighters to lay down their weapons and dissolve the movement following a 40-year insurgency against Turkey.
Abdullah Ocalan's comments on Thursday, if heeded by his Kurdistan Workers' Party forces, could pave the way for ending one of the world's longest ongoing conflicts, holding vast ramifications for the Middle East.
The fighting has killed more than 40,000 people, and Kurdish forces control territory in Syria, Iran, and Iraq.
In talks with Turkish President Recep Erdoğan's allies, Ocalan has reportedly discussed his potential release in exchange for renouncing the insurgency.
Erdoğan has domestic and foreign policy motivations to end the conflict, Middle East Institute expert Gönül Tol noted: He may need the backing of pro-Kurdish lawmakers to stay in power beyond 2028.
The Turkish leader also wants to leverage Iran's weakness to make inroads in Iraq, and believes an end to the fighting could help that cause. 'It's a high-risk, high-reward gamble,' Tol said.
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