Kurdish PKK disbands and ends Turkey insurgency, PKK-linked agency says

A file image of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) members
| Photo Credit: AFP

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has been in conflict with the Turkish state for more than four decades, has decided to dissolve itself and end its armed struggle, a news agency close to the group reported on Monday (May 12, 2025).

The PKK decision is set to have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region, including in neighbouring Syria where Kurdish forces are allied with U.S. forces.

The Firat news agency published what it said was the closing declaration of a congress that the PKK held last week in northern Iraq, in response to a call in February from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan to disband.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s office and the Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment on the announcement.

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.