Turkey says it is closely monitoring PKK disbandment to secure peace
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey is closely monitoring any attempts to undermine its peace initiative with the PKK, a senior official said Tuesday, following the militant Kurdish group's announcement that it is dissolving and ending its decades-long armed conflict with the Turkish state.
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by several, announced the historic decision on Monday months after its imprisoned leader called for the group to formally disband and disarm — a move that could bring an end to one of the Middle East's longest-running insurgencies.
In making the call, the PKK leader stressed the need for securing Kurdish rights through negotiation rather than armed struggle.
Previous peace efforts with the group have failed, most recently in 2015. Given the past failures, a close aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed determination to uphold the current initiative and prevent any disruptions.
'We are closely following attempts to sabotage the process and we will not allow anyone to test our state's determination in this regard,' Fahrettin Altun, the head of the Turkish presidential communications office said.
The PKK initially launched its struggle with the goal of establishing an independent Kurdish state. Over time, it moderated its objectives toward autonomy and greater Kurdish rights within Turkey. The conflict, which has spilled into neighboring Iraq and Syria, has claimed tens of thousands of lives since it began in the 1980s.
The latest peace effort, which the government has labeled 'Terror-Free Turkey' was launched in October, after a key ally of President Recep Tayyip suggested parole for PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan if the PKK renounces violence and disbands.
Officials have not disclose details about the process that will follow the PKK's decision.
Media close to the government have reported that the PKK's disarmament process is expected to take three to four months, with weapons being collected at designated locations in northern Iraq under official supervision.
According to Hurriyet newspaper, the disarmament could be overseen jointly by Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq or through a commission involving Turkey, the United States, European Union nations and Iraq.
The newspaper also suggested that high-ranking PKK members may be relocated to third countries, while lower-ranking militants without arrest warrants could return to Turkey once a legal framework is established to facilitate their reintegration.
Turkish officials have not responded to requests for comment on the report.
Analysts expect Ocalan to see improved prison conditions following the PKK's disbandment.
Erdogan said Monday the PKK's declaration should apply to all PKK-affiliated groups, including Kurdish groups in Syria.
The Kurdish fighters in Syria have ties to the PKK and have been involved in intense fighting with Turkish-backed forces there. The leader of the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces previously said Ocalan's call for a dissolution does not apply to his group in Syria.
The group then reached an agreement with the central government in Damascus for a nationwide ceasefire and its merger into the Syrian army. Despite the deal, Kurdish officials in Syria later declared their desire for a federal state, sparking tensions with the Syrian government.
Some believe the main aim of the reconciliation effort is for Erdogan's government to garner Kurdish support for a new constitution that would allow him to remain in power beyond 2028, when his term ends.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
US moves to relocate non-essential personnel from the Middle East amid heightened security concerns
The US State and Defense departments on Wednesday made efforts to arrange the departure of non-essential personnel from locations around the Middle East, according to US officials and sources familiar with the efforts. It's not clear what is causing the sudden change in posture, but a defense official said US Central Command is monitoring 'developing tension in the Middle East.' President Donald Trump is aware of the recent personnel movements, a White House official said. While the reasons for the heightened security concerns in the region are not clear, the planned departures come as tensions involving Iran and Israel have recently escalated as the Trump administration continues to pursue a new nuclear deal with Iran. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the Middle East, according to the official. 'The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East,' the official said. The State Department is also preparing to order the departure of non-essential personnel from the US embassies in Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait due to increased security risks in the region, according to a separate US official and another source familiar with the matter. A departure of non-essential personnel will also be ordered for the US consulate in Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, the sources said. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump has said he's grown less confident in being able to strike a deal with Iran curbing the country's nuclear ambitions, saying in a new interview that Tehran could be 'delaying' striking an agreement. 'I'm getting more and more less confident about it. They seem to be delaying, and I think that's a shame, but I'm less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago,' Trump said in an interview with a New York Post podcast that was released earlier on Wednesday. 'Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made,' he went on, saying it was his 'instincts' telling him a deal was moving further from reach. CNN also reported Wednesday that Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop talk of an attack on Iran, according to a source familiar with the conversation. The two leaders spoke on the phone on Monday. Trump later said the call went 'very well, very smooth.' Iran's defense minister warned Wednesday that if the nuclear talks with the US fail and conflict breaks out, the US would be 'forced to leave the region.' Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh said that in such a scenario 'the adversary will certainly suffer heavier casualties,' though he did not specify whether the 'adversary' was the US, Israel or both. In his comments published by Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, the defense minister said some officials from the opposing side had 'made threatening remarks, warning of potential conflict in case no agreement is reached' in the US-Iran talks. 'In that case, the US will have no choice but to leave the region, as all of its bases are within the reach of Iranian military and they will not hesitate to target all of them in their host countries,' Nasirzadeh said.


CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
US moves to relocate non-essential personnel from the Middle East amid heightened security concerns
The US State and Defense departments on Wednesday made efforts to arrange the departure of non-essential personnel from locations around the Middle East, according to US officials and sources familiar with the efforts. It's not clear what is causing the sudden change in posture, but a defense official said US Central Command is monitoring 'developing tension in the Middle East.' President Donald Trump is aware of the recent personnel movements, a White House official said. While the reasons for the heightened security concerns in the region are not clear, the planned departures come as tensions involving Iran and Israel have recently escalated as the Trump administration continues to pursue a new nuclear deal with Iran. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the Middle East, according to the official. 'The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East,' the official said. The State Department is also preparing to order the departure of non-essential personnel from the US embassies in Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait due to increased security risks in the region, according to a separate US official and another source familiar with the matter. A departure of non-essential personnel will also be ordered for the US consulate in Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, the sources said. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump has said he's grown less confident in being able to strike a deal with Iran curbing the country's nuclear ambitions, saying in a new interview that Tehran could be 'delaying' striking an agreement. 'I'm getting more and more less confident about it. They seem to be delaying, and I think that's a shame, but I'm less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago,' Trump said in an interview with a New York Post podcast that was released earlier on Wednesday. 'Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made,' he went on, saying it was his 'instincts' telling him a deal was moving further from reach. CNN also reported Wednesday that Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop talk of an attack on Iran, according to a source familiar with the conversation. The two leaders spoke on the phone on Monday. Trump later said the call went 'very well, very smooth.' Iran's defense minister warned Wednesday that if the nuclear talks with the US fail and conflict breaks out, the US would be 'forced to leave the region.' Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh said that in such a scenario 'the adversary will certainly suffer heavier casualties,' though he did not specify whether the 'adversary' was the US, Israel or both. In his comments published by Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, the defense minister said some officials from the opposing side had 'made threatening remarks, warning of potential conflict in case no agreement is reached' in the US-Iran talks. 'In that case, the US will have no choice but to leave the region, as all of its bases are within the reach of Iranian military and they will not hesitate to target all of them in their host countries,' Nasirzadeh said.


CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
US moves to relocate non-essential personnel from the Middle East amid heightened security concerns
The US State and Defense departments on Wednesday made efforts to arrange the departure of non-essential personnel from locations around the Middle East, according to US officials and sources familiar with the efforts. It's not clear what is causing the sudden change in posture, but a defense official said US Central Command is monitoring 'developing tension in the Middle East.' President Donald Trump is aware of the recent personnel movements, a White House official said. While the reasons for the heightened security concerns in the region are not clear, the planned departures come as tensions involving Iran and Israel have recently escalated as the Trump administration continues to pursue a new nuclear deal with Iran. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the Middle East, according to the official. 'The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East,' the official said. The State Department is also preparing to order the departure of non-essential personnel from the US embassies in Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait due to increased security risks in the region, according to a separate US official and another source familiar with the matter. A departure of non-essential personnel will also be ordered for the US consulate in Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, the sources said. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump has said he's grown less confident in being able to strike a deal with Iran curbing the country's nuclear ambitions, saying in a new interview that Tehran could be 'delaying' striking an agreement. 'I'm getting more and more less confident about it. They seem to be delaying, and I think that's a shame, but I'm less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago,' Trump said in an interview with a New York Post podcast that was released earlier on Wednesday. 'Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made,' he went on, saying it was his 'instincts' telling him a deal was moving further from reach. CNN also reported Wednesday that Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop talk of an attack on Iran, according to a source familiar with the conversation. The two leaders spoke on the phone on Monday. Trump later said the call went 'very well, very smooth.' Iran's defense minister warned Wednesday that if the nuclear talks with the US fail and conflict breaks out, the US would be 'forced to leave the region.' Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh said that in such a scenario 'the adversary will certainly suffer heavier casualties,' though he did not specify whether the 'adversary' was the US, Israel or both. In his comments published by Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, the defense minister said some officials from the opposing side had 'made threatening remarks, warning of potential conflict in case no agreement is reached' in the US-Iran talks. 'In that case, the US will have no choice but to leave the region, as all of its bases are within the reach of Iranian military and they will not hesitate to target all of them in their host countries,' Nasirzadeh said.