The PKK Kurdish militant group will disband as part of a peace initiative with Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey — A Kurdish militant group announced a historic decision Monday to disband and disarm as part of a new peace initiative with Turkey, after four decades of armed conflict.
The decision by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, was announced by the Firat News Agency, a media outlet close to the group. It comes days after it convened a party congress in northern Iraq.
In February, PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island near Istanbul since 1999, urged his group to convene a congress and formally decide to disband, marking a pivotal step toward ending the decadeslong conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s.
On March 1, the PKK announced a unilateral ceasefire, but attached conditions, including the creation of a legal framework for peace negotiations.
The group has led an armed insurgency since 1984 that has left claimed tens of thousands of lives. It is listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies.
Firat news said the congress “decided to dissolve the PKK’s organizational structure and the end armed struggle, with the practical implementation of this process to be led and overseen by (Ocalan.) As a result, activities carried out under the name ‘PKK’ were formally terminated.”
Congress assessed that the PKK’s struggle had “brought the Kurdish issue to the point of resolution through democratic politics, thus completing its historical mission.”
Country Joe McDonald, anti-war singer who electrified Woodstock, dies at 84
Country Joe and the Fish's best-known song, "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag," captured the growing anti-war sentiment of the Vietnam era.
OpenAI robotics leader resigns over concerns about Pentagon AI deal
A senior member of OpenAI's robotics team said guardrails around certain AI uses were not sufficiently defined before OpenAI announced an agreement with the Pentagon.
Five key takeaways from an annual briefing by China’s foreign minister
Speaking at a political gathering in Beijing, China's foreign minister Wang Yi outlined his country's positions on the war in Iran and general relations with America.
Police investigate an explosion outside the U.S. Embassy in Oslo
Norwegian police are investigating an explosion outside the U.S. Embassy in Oslo early Sunday, officials said.
Decades after violence in Selma spurred the Voting Rights Act, organizers worry about its fate
Alabama is marking the 61st anniversary of a key event in the Civil Rights Movement, when state troopers attacked voting rights marchers in Selma. But the celebration come as the U.S. Supreme Court considers a case that could limit a provision of the Voting Rights Act.
Photos: These bold women stand up for justice, rights … and freedom
To mark International Women's Day, we feature portraits and profiles of determined women around the world.
