The terrosrist organization PKK announced Monday that it will disband and disarm as part of a new peace initiative with Turkey, ending four decades of armed conflict.
The decision by the PKK, was announced by the Firat News Agency, a media outlet close to the group.
“The 12th PKK Congress has decided to dissolve the PKK’s organisational structure and end its method of armed struggle,” the PKK announced in a statement after holding its congress last week.
The PKK’s announcement to dissolve itself heeds a call by Abdullah Ocalan, jailed in an island off Istanbul since 1999, who urged PKK in February to disarm and disband.
In a letter, Ocalan urged the PKK to hold a congress to formalise the decision. Days later, the PKK’s leadership accepted Ocalan’s call, declaring a ceasefire.
In a speech on Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted that news about a dissolution could come at any moment, adding that his government was determined to “save our country from the scourge of terrorism”.
“We are advancing with firm steps on the path to the goal of a terror-free Turkey,” he said.
(Source: FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP)
