The Kurdish militant group has announced that it will disband and disarm as part of a peace initiative with Turkey, ending four decades of armed conflict.
The historic decision by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) comes just days after the group held a party congress in northern Iraq, according to Reuters.
Beyond its implications for Turkey, the development may carry broader political and security consequences for the region — especially in neighboring Syria, where Kurdish forces are allied with the U.S. military in the fight against ISIS.
The Firat News Agency published what it claimed was the final declaration of the congress held last week, reportedly in response to a February appeal by the group’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, calling for disbandment.
More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since 1984, when the PKK launched its armed uprising.
The PKK has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
