In a significant development, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a militant group engaged in a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state, has announced its withdrawal from Turkey as part of a comprehensive disarmament process. This decision follows a call from the group’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, in May 2025, urging an end to armed struggle. The conflict, which began in 1984, has claimed over 40,000 lives. The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the European Union, has been based in northern Iraq in recent years, with Turkey conducting regular military strikes against its bases. In July 2025, the group symbolically burned some weapons as a gesture of goodwill. During a recent event in the Qandil Mountains, the PKK’s stronghold, a statement was read declaring the group’s commitment to laying the foundations for a ‘free, democratic, and brotherly life.’ The PKK emphasized the need for Turkey to facilitate its transition into democratic politics through integration laws. President Tayyip Erdogan’s communications director, Burhanettin Duran, welcomed the withdrawal, describing it as a positive step toward lasting peace. The PKK’s shift from seeking an independent state to advocating for greater Kurdish rights and limited autonomy marks a significant evolution in its objectives. The resolution of this conflict could have far-reaching implications for the region, including neighboring Syria, where the US supports Syrian Kurdish forces that Turkey considers a PKK offshoot.