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Shafaq News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
PKK disarms in blaze of weapons: Region hails new path to peace
Shafaq News On Friday, July 11, a dramatic scene unfolded on a secluded hillside outside al-Sulaymaniyah, in Iraq's northern Kurdistan Region, where dozens of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters staged a rare public disarmament ceremony. Marching in silence, each guerrilla laid down an AK-47, sidearm, or bandolier into a grey iron cauldron before stepping back. As the pile of weapons grew shoulder-high, attendants doused it in fuel and set it ablaze, sending flames and thick black smoke skyward in a powerful symbolic act. Four senior PKK commanders watched from a raised platform, led by Bese Hozat, co-chair of the Kurdistan Community Union (KCK) and the group's most senior figure to appear publicly since its March truce declaration. Reading in Turkish, Hozat declared, 'The era of armed struggle is over,' and pledged to address the Kurdish question through 'democratic, civilian means,' calling for dialogue grounded in 'justice, freedom, and mutual respect.' The event's choreography reflected its political weight. Officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)'s Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs and al-Sulaymaniyah Province stood alongside delegates from Iraq's National Intelligence Service (INIS). Turkiye dispatched senior officers from the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and the General Directorate of Security. Three lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, which has helped mediate between Ankara and the PKK, also attended. Yet, not all voices made it to the hillside. Originally open to civil society figures and local leaders, the invitation list was abruptly trimmed the night before due to 'deteriorating security conditions.' The ceremony ended with a moment of silence for 'all martyrs of the Kurdish struggle.' The fighters regrouped, saluted their commanders, and boarded unmarked buses headed for the Qandil Mountains, as Iraqi police secured the site. Soon after, Mola Nader of the Group for Peace and Democratic Society confirmed to Shafaq News that the fighters had returned to Jasana Mountain. He urged Turkiye to issue a general amnesty and embrace constitutional reforms ensuring inclusive citizenship. A statement from the group credited PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan and the party's 12th congress for guiding the shift, reaffirming a commitment to achieving 'freedom, democracy, and socialism' through peaceful means. It warned that the Middle East is descending into bloodshed and called on regional and global actors to respect Kurdish rights and support democratic transformation through education, grassroots organization, and political reform. This unprecedented event came just two months after the PKK officially announced its dissolution on May 12, ending a 47-year armed campaign that claimed more than 40,000 lives. Kurdistan Throws Weight Behind Peace Kurdistan's top political figures moved quickly to endorse the shift. Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Leader Masoud Barzani, meeting with a delegation from Turkiye's Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) at the Saladin Resort, described the disarmament as 'significant and moving in the right direction.' Stressing that 'ten years of dialogue outweigh one hour of war,' he urged all Kurdish parties to support the peace process and emphasized that political struggle, not violence, is the path forward. President Nechirvan Barzani echoed this support, calling the ceremony 'an encouraging step' and a meaningful show of political intent. While symbolic, he stressed, the gesture could open a new phase of dialogue and cooperation. He reaffirmed the Kurdistan Region's full commitment to supporting peace efforts and carrying any responsibilities required to sustain them. Amid regional volatility, Barzani offered a clear message: 'Peace makes us brothers,' he stated, affirming that success in the process would benefit Turkiye, Kurdistan, and the region at large. He also thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his leadership and extended respect to Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Leader Devlet Bahceli, Ocalan, and all individuals contributing to the process. Baghdad Welcomes 'Milestone' in PKK Disarmament From Baghdad, Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs framed the ceremony as 'an important milestone' and 'a real opportunity' for reconciliation. It praised the move as a practical beginning to end decades of armed conflict and encouraged renewed efforts toward peaceful coexistence. Iraq emphasized that this step could reduce tensions, strengthen cooperation with Turkiye, and lay the groundwork for a wider regional dialogue—one that confronts the roots of conflict and builds long-term stability while respecting mutual sovereignty. A Greater Turkiye in Sight In Ankara, President Erdogan welcomed the PKK's disarmament as the dawn of a new era and thanked both Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region for their role in the process. Addressing supporters, he estimated that the conflict had claimed nearly 10,000 Turkish soldiers and cost Turkiye around $2 trillion. 'The 47-year plague of terrorism has entered its final stage,' he declared. 'Today marks a new beginning and opens the doors to a stronger, greater Turkiye.' The Turkish president further stressed that unity was key to progress: 'When hearts unite, borders disappear.' As part of the next steps, Erdogan announced plans to form a parliamentary committee to begin discussing the legal framework needed to advance the handover of weapons. 'This phase demands sensitivity, and we will closely monitor the process.' Others in Ankara echoed the sentiment. Bahceli called it a key moment in ending 'separatist violence.' Justice and Development Party (AKP) Spokesperson Omer Celik described the ceremony as the first step in a broader disarmament effort and called for rapid implementation to achieve a 'future free from terrorism.' Still, not everyone was convinced. Some voices warned the move might be largely symbolic, pointing to the possibility that the PKK still retains weapons in remote strongholds. Without transparency or independent oversight, they cautioned, the ceremony could fall short of a genuine end to military operations. Wave of Attacks Preceded PKK Peace Gesture In the weeks leading up to the al-Sulaymaniyah event, Turkish military operations across Iraqi Kurdistan showed no signs of slowing. According to the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), 550 Turkish attacks were recorded between June 1 and June 30, including 525 artillery shellings and 25 airstrikes. Operations were concentrated—98%—in Duhok province, particularly the Al-Amadiya district, with only nine shellings recorded in Sidakan, Erbil Province. Although the monthly increase in strikes was modest—up 8% from May—overall activity remains above pre-ceasefire levels. Analysts attribute the focus to Ankara's effort to establish a buffer zone devoid of PKK presence near the border. The PKK, for its part, launched four suicide drone attacks on Turkish bases in Sgire on June 16 and 24, describing them as defensive actions. Since January, 1,678 Turkish military strikes have been recorded across the Kurdistan Region: 1,484 in Duhok, 140 in Erbil, and 54 in al-Sulaymaniyah. The violence has claimed three civilian lives and left six others injured, casting a long shadow over the symbolic gestures unfolding just weeks later.
Int'l Business Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
PKK Militants Want To Enter Turkish Politics: Top Commander
Kurdish militants want to return to Turkey and enter mainstream politics, one of the PKK's joint leaders told AFP on Friday after the group's fighters began destroying their arms at a ceremony in Iraq. Speaking to AFP after handing in her own weapon alongside 29 of her comrades, the Kurdistan Workers' Party's top female commander Bese Hozat said if Turkey were willing, the disarmament process could be completed very quickly. But the 47-year-old militant also warned the fragile peace process risked being derailed if Ankara fails to free the PKK's jailed founder Abdullah Ocalan, also known as 'Apo' -- Kurdish for 'uncle'. "If Apo were freed tomorrow and... Turkey made legal and constitutional arrangements the next day, within a week we could return to engage in democratic politics," she said of a process which Ankara expects to last for months. Ocalan has been serving a life sentence in solitary confinement on the prison island of Imrali near Istanbul since 1999 and his release has been a constant demand of the PKK. "Ensuring leader Apo's physical freedom legally, via legal guarantees, is essential... he should be able to freely lead and manage this process. This is our primary condition and demand," she said. "We want to see him, we miss him very much and there are many things we want to discuss with him," said Hozat, who joined the PKK when she was 16 and has spent more than three decades of her life as a fighter. "Without this development, it is highly unlikely that the process will continue successfully." Earlier this week, the 76-year-old dismissed talk of his own release as unimportant, positioning himself more as a guide than as a leader of the ongoing process. Hozat said it was essential Turkey put in place mechanisms to allow them to return without fear of prosecution or reprisal. "We do not want to wage armed struggle against Turkey, we want to come to Turkey and do democratic politics. In order for us... to achieve democratic integration with Turkey, it is imperative we can freely travel to Turkey," she said. "If Turkey takes concrete steps, enacts laws and implements radical legal reforms... we will go to Turkey and engage in politics. If (not)... we will end up either in prison or being killed." Asked whether she now expected Turkey and its Western allies to remove the PKK from their blacklists of terrorist organisations, Hozat said the issue was irrelevant. "Right now, the PKK no longer exists, we've dissolved it. We are a freedom movement.. advocating for peace and a democratic society. "The PKK has achieved its main goal: the existence of the Kurds has been recognised." Seen as the world's largest stateless people, the Kurds were left without a country when the Ottoman Empire collapsed after World War I. Although most live in Turkey, where they make up around a fifth of the population, the Kurds are also spread across Iraq, Iran and Syria, where Ankara has for years been striking Kurdish fighters. Hozat hailed positive changes in Syria since the PKK announced the end of its armed struggle against Turkey. "Turkish attacks on (Kurdish-majority) northeastern Syria have ceased and its autonomous administration is currently negotiating" with the Damascus government. Hozat said the Kurdish question was the key to freedom for all peoples of the Middle East. "If the Kurdish question is resolved, the Middle East can truly become a democracy," she said. "That's why we want this solution everywhere, including Iran, which must also become democratic. The Kurdish question must also be resolved there on the basis of autonomy." PKK co-chair Bese Hozat reads out a statement before she and 29 comrades destroyed their weapons. AFP
Rudaw Net
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Ocalan's message cannot be delivered under Imrali Prison's restrictions: KCK
Also in Turkey Snowfall attracts thousands of tourists to Diyarbakir ski resort Turkish officials, Russian FM discuss Syria DEM Party to visit Ocalan again soon: MP Turkey sacks pro-Kurdish Kars mayor A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on Monday rejected the Turkish authorities' 'preventing' PKK leader Abdulla Ocalan from delivering his long-awaited message in video form and offering a written version instead. Bese Hozat, the co-chair of the Kurdistan Communities Union's (KCK) said, 'We strongly reject and criticize this approach [by the Turkish authorities], and we do not accept it in any way.' The senior KCK figure further criticized the 26-year-long imprisonment of Ocalan on Imrali island located south of the Turkish mainland, arguing that such restrictive conditions undermine 'the potential impact' of Ocalan's message. Such a message 'cannot be delivered under such restrictive conditions,' Hozat said. The PKK leader is expected to release a statement by the beginning of next month, to set an end to the 40-year-long Kurdish issue in Turkey through 'democracy and peace.' Observers believe the Ocalan might ask his group to lay down arms. However, the PKK has stated that it will not heed such calls unless Ocalan is allowed to physically meet the group's leadership and is released from prison. The upcoming message notably comes amid significant regional power dynamics. In her Monday remarks, Hozat also rebuked 'allegations' from Turkish state-affiliated media suggesting that the PKK might be laying down arms. 'All the news and narratives from [Turkish] state media about the end, exhaustion, and disarmament of the PKK stem from psychological warfare,' she said. She elaborated that Ocalan's anticipated message would call for 'a democratic resolution of the Kurdish issue and the democratization of Turkey,' adding that 'if the Kurdish issue was resolved, we will definitely discuss disarmament.' The KCK co-chair's remarks notably coincide with the renewed efforts of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which has been mediating talks between Ankara and the PKK in a bid to end hostilities. Details of the process remain unclear, but officials from the pro-Kurdish party have stated that it aims to bring peace to the country.
