Turkey’s Outlawed PKK Begins ‘Symbolic’ Disarmament By Burning Weapons

Via The Cradle

A group of fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) laid down their arms on Friday during a disarmament ceremony in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region, coinciding with continued Turkish attacks on the organization despite months of a ceasefire between the historic rivals. 

Just 30 minutes into the ceremony, the Turkish army launched air attacks on villages in the Amediya district of Dohuk province in north Iraq. The small ceremony was held on Friday near the province of Sulaimaniya. Twenty to 30 PKK fighters destroyed their weapons in a symbolic gesture, rather than surrender them to authorities. 

Images on social media showed the militants placing their guns in a fire pit, ready to be lit. 

The group “comprised around 30 fighters who laid down weapons including AK-47s, PKM machine guns, and sniper rifles,” informed sources told Kurdish news outlet Rudaw.  

The fighters affirmed during the ceremony their commitment to democratic political engagement aimed at securing Kurdish rights in Turkey.

In a statement, the group of PKK fighters – identifying themselves as the Group for Peace and Democratic Society – said they disarmed to “ensure the practical success of ‘Peace and Democratic Society’ process, to wage our freedom, democracy and socialist struggle with methods of legal and democratic politics on the basis of enacting laws for democratic integration.”

They said their destruction of the arms was “a step of goodwill and determination.” Ankara welcomed the step, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan describing it as “totally ripping off and throwing away the bloody shackles that were put on our country’s legs.” He added that the move would benefit the region. 

In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, Turkish attacks continued to target Kurdish areas of northern Iraq, according to a war monitor.

The US-based Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) said on Thursday that “Turkish military strikes and operations have remained steady – though increasingly concentrated in specific areas – even as a disarmament ceremony approaches this Friday.”

These pictures show PKK beginning its disarmament today, starting with 30 armed members laying down their weapons. In the region’s history of conflict, such scenes—if not unique—are certainly rare. Lasting peace will require continued effort, especially from the Turkish state. pic.twitter.com/4L3S46zSGd

— Kamaran Palani (@KamaranMPalani) July 11, 2025

“Turkish military strikes have remained steady and concentrated – though notably, no civilian casualties have been reported – since their surge in May. In June, bombardments and attacks increased by just eight percent compared to the previous month but continue to exceed levels observed prior to the ceasefire,” CPT said. 

“Notably, 98 percent of strikes and shelling occurred within the Duhok governorate, specifically in the Amedi district, a stark contrast to previous years when Turkish offensives were more geographically dispersed,” it added. 

Between June 1 and June 30, at least 550 bombings and strikes were documented in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, the monitor went on to say.

The PKK has been engaged in a guerrilla campaign against Turkiye for decades. Its leader, Abdullah Ocalan, is currently serving a life sentence in prison on the Turkish island of Imrali. In February, Ocalan issued a call for the PKK to lay down its arms. 

The group has been holding talks on the matter with the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) in Turkiye. It has demanded legal and political guarantees in exchange for disarming, including constitutional reforms and equal rights for Kurds in Turkiye. It is also hoping for an eventual release of its leader from Turkish prison.

Thirty #PKK fighters burned their weapons in a ceremony in Sulaymaniyah as part of their #disarmament process.

Photo: Hama Sur / Channel8 pic.twitter.com/XIHsa25iE2

— Channel 8 English (@Channel8English) July 11, 2025

Ocalan reiterated his call in a video message released on 9 July, declaring that the Kurdish militant group’s decades-long armed struggle against Turkiye has come to an end. On March 1, the PKK declared an immediate ceasefire in its insurgency against the Turkish state, in line with Ocalan’s call in February. 

The PKK is very closely linked to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria, which earlier this year signed a deal with Damascus to integrate into the new Syrian military. The integration has yet to take place. Ankara has urged the SDF to quit “stalling” and integrate with Damascus’s forces immediately.