Latest news with #Apo
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
PKK to lay down arms after decades-long insurgency in Turkey
The Kurdish group PKK announced on Monday that it will fully disarm and disband, ending its decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state, according to the Firat News Agency, an outlet linked closely with the group. The PKK has long been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., Turkey, the European Union, NATO, and many other nations and entities. The landmark move announced Monday will end a 40-year conflict that killed more than 40,000 people. The group declared that it had completed its "historical mission" and had thus "decided to dissolve the PKK's organizational structure, with the practical process to be managed and carried out by Leader Apo [Abdullah Ocalan], and to end the armed struggle method." The announcement came after the group's imprisoned founder and ideological leader, Abdullah Ocalan, made a call in a public letter in February, addressed to its leadership, asking the PKK to lay down its arms permanently. The PKK declared a unilateral ceasefire the following month. The group was formed in 1978 with the ambition of creating a separate, independent homeland for Turkey's large Kurdish minority, but it later dropped its separatist ambitions and focused on achieving greater rights for the group within Turkish society. A spokesperson for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) welcomed the announcement, calling it, "a significant step towards a terror free Turkey." Spokesman Omer Celik said the PKK's decision should be "implemented with all its dimensions, without any shortcomings, and with concrete goals." There were, however, no details immediately released about the technicalities of the group's disbanding, such as what would happen with all the weapons it has held for decades, or if its members would receive legal amnesty in Turkey. In its statement, the PKK said the issue of Kurdish rights had come "to a point where it can be resolved through democratic politics," urging the Turkish parliament to take "a historical role" in completing the process. Erdogan's government has had a complex relationship with the country's Kurds. While some progress was made in restoring Kurdish rights since the AKP came to power in 2002, scores of Kurdish rights defenders were also imprisoned after the collapse of peace talks in 2015. The announcement will have wider consequences for the region, especially in Iraq, Syria and Iran, all of which share borders with Turkey and have significant Kurdish minority populations of their own. The disarmament of the PKK could also help clear up a thorny issue between the U.S. and its NATO ally. Turkey has long been critical of U.S. support for the Syrian Kurdish group YPG, which Turkey considers an extension of the PKK. The YPG and allied Kurdish militias were instrumental allies to the U.S. in the war against ISIS in Syria. Newly discovered vintage photos reveal San Francisco mystery Josh's mom on making a move What will Pope Leo XIV mean for the Church?
NBC News
12-05-2025
- Business
- NBC News
Kurdish PKK disbands and ends Turkey insurgency, PKK-linked agency says
ISTANBUL — The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has been locked in bloody conflict with the Turkish state for more than four decades, decided to disband and end its armed struggle, a news agency close to the group reported Monday. The PKK decision is set to have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region, including in neighboring Iraq and also in Syria, where Kurdish forces are allied with U.S. forces. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies. 'The PKK has completed its historic mission,' the group said, according to the Firat news agency, which published what it said was the closing declaration of a congress that the PKK held last week in northern Iraq where it is based. The PKK held the congress in response to a call in February from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan to disband. 'The PKK 12th Congress decided to dissolve the PKK's organizational structure, with the practical process to be managed and carried out by Leader Apo, and to end the armed struggle method,' the statement said, using Ocalan's nickname. 'The PKK struggle has broken the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and brought the Kurdish issue to a point of solving it through democratic politics,' the statement said. The PKK's decision will give President Tayyip Erdogan the opportunity to boost development in the mainly Kurdish southeast, where the insurgency has handicapped the regional economy for decades. Omer Celik, spokesperson for Erdogan's ruling AK Party, said the PKK's decision to dissolve was an 'an important step toward a terror-free Turkey.' Turkey's foreign ministry did not immediately comment on the announcement, which Ankara had been expecting. The lira was flat at 38.7375 against the dollar while the main share index rose 2.4%. There have been intermittent peace efforts over the years, most notably a ceasefire between 2013 and 2015 that ultimately collapsed.
India Today
12-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Kurdish militant group PKK disbands, ends 40-year-old conflict with Turkey
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has been locked in bloody conflict with the Turkish state for more than four decades, decided to disband and end its armed struggle, a news agency close to the group reported on PKK decision is set to have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region, including in neighbouring Iraq and also in Syria, where Kurdish forces are allied with US than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies. "The PKK has completed its historic mission," the group said, according to the Firat news agency, which published what it said was the closing declaration of a congress that the PKK held last week in northern Iraq, where it is PKK held the congress in response to a call in February from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan to disband."The PKK 12th Congress decided to dissolve the PKK'S organisational structure, with the practical process to be managed and carried out by Leader Apo, and to end the armed struggle method," the statement said, using Ocalan's nickname."The PKK struggle has broken the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and brought the Kurdish issue to a point of solving it through democratic politics," the statement PKK's decision will give President Tayyip Erdogan the opportunity to boost development in the mainly Kurdish southeast, where the insurgency has handicapped the regional economy for Celik, spokespeson for Erdogan's ruling AK Party, said the PKK's decision to dissolve was an "an important step toward a terror-free Turkey".Turkey's foreign ministry did not immediately comment on the announcement, which Ankara had been expecting. The lira TRYTOM=D3 was flat at 38.7375 against the dollar while the main share index rose 2.4 per have been intermittent peace efforts over the years, most notably a ceasefire between 2013 and 2015 that ultimately Watch
Perth Now
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Kurdish PKK disbands and ends Turkey insurgency
The Kurdistan Workers Party militant group, which has been locked in bloody conflict with the Turkish state for more than four decades, decided to disband and end its armed struggle, a news agency close to the group reported on Monday. The decision is set to have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region, including in neighbouring Iraq and also in Syria, where Kurdish forces are allied with US forces. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies. "The PKK has completed its historic mission," the group said on Monday, according to the Firat news agency, which published what it said was the closing declaration of a congress that the PKK held last week in northern Iraq where it is based. The PKK held the congress in response to a call in February from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan to disband. "The PKK 12th Congress decided to dissolve the PKK'S organisational structure, with the practical process to be managed and carried out by Leader Apo, and to end the armed struggle method," the statement said, using Ocalan's nickname. "The PKK struggle has broken the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and brought the Kurdish issue to a point of solving it through democratic politics." The PKK's decision will give President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the opportunity to boost development in the mainly Kurdish southeast, where the insurgency has handicapped the regional economy for decades. Omer Celik, spokesman for Erdogan's ruling AK Party, said the PKK's decision to dissolve was an "an important step toward a terror-free Turkey". Turkey's foreign ministry did not immediately comment on the announcement, which Ankara had been expecting. There have been intermittent peace efforts over the years, most notably a ceasefire between 2013 and 2015 that ultimately collapsed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kurdish PKK militants held congress, took 'historic decisions', agency says
(Reuters) - The outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) held a congress this week and made "historic" decisions after a call by its leader to dissolve, a news agency linked to the group said on Friday - a potentially key step in resolving a long conflict with Turkey. The Firat news agency reported what it called a statement by the PKK after its May 5-7 gathering in northern Iraq, where the insurgent group is now based after a more than 40-year conflict with the Turkish state. In it, the PKK did not say whether it had decided to disband or disarm. "The PKK 12th Congress made decisions of historic importance regarding PKK activities based on the call of Leader Apo," the PKK was cited by Firat as saying, referring to PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan who has been imprisoned for 26 years. More detailed information would be shared with the public "very soon," it said. Ocalan, who has been serving a life sentence since 1999, issued a statement through his lawyers on Feb. 27 calling for a revival of peace efforts. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the PKK conflict, which has seen intermittent peace efforts over the years, most notably a ceasefire between 2013 and 2015 that ultimately collapsed.
