ALBAWABA - It was a big deal when 30 fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), including women and top members, ceremoniously burned their guns near the city of Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq. The event is a big step in the PKK's official move away from armed conflict and toward political participation.
Two months ago, the group officially ended its four-decade violent conflict against the Turkish government. Since 1984, more than 40,000 people have died in that conflict. The PKK called the withdrawal a "historic democratic process." It happened at a spot west of Sulaymaniyah that is important because it is where one of the first Kurdish newspapers was printed.
Fighters met in front of a big picture of Abdullah Öcalan, the founder of the PKK, and read a word of peace in both Kurdish and Turkish. The leaders said they hoped the move would give the Kurdish people "freedom, equality, and democracy." The fighters then threw their rifles and machine guns into a fire pit, while Öcalan's fans cried and shouted his name.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey called the disarmament a "significant step toward a terror-free Turkey" and said he hoped the peace process would pick up speed. In a speech to his party, he said, "We are entering a new phase." He stressed that the government wanted to end the process quickly and calmly.
President Nechirvan Barzani and other officials from the Kurdish Regional Government joined the event and promised their full support for ongoing peace efforts. Reports say that Turkish intelligence officers were also there, which shows that Ankara is keeping a close eye on what's going on.
People think that Öcalan and the Turkish government are negotiating in a roundabout way by giving up their weapons. The jailed PKK leader recently spoke out in a video message, asking for a clear legal and political framework to complete the group's exit from armed action and start a new democratic political movement in Turkey.
According to Iraqi security sources, the process could be finished by 2026. It is expected that the PKK will then become a recognized political group. 17 million Kurds in Turkey are hopeful that this move will lead to a lasting political solution after decades of deadly conflict.
