Turkey and PKK face a tricky path determining how militants will disband


  • World
  • Tuesday, 13 May 2025

A sign depicts jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan in Qamishli, Syria May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey is embarking on a hazardous path to ensure the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group implements its decision to disband after 40 years of conflict, facing obstacles that need to be overcome in neighbouring Iraq and Syria.

Thousands of heavily armed PKK fighters in northern Iraq, where the group is based, are now expected to surrender their weapons at numerous locations across the region, with many then returning to NATO-member Turkey, according to Ankara's plans leaked to pro-government media.

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