{"id":2408380,"date":"2025-03-01T14:20:58","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T19:20:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kurdish-militants-declare-a-ceasefire-in-a-40-year-insurgency-in-turkey-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-03-01T14:23:48","modified_gmt":"2025-03-01T19:23:48","slug":"kurdish-militants-declare-a-ceasefire-in-a-40-year-insurgency-in-turkey-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kurdish-militants-declare-a-ceasefire-in-a-40-year-insurgency-in-turkey-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Kurdish militants declare a ceasefire in a 40-year insurgency in Turkey &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkurdish-militants-declare-a-ceasefire-in-a-40-year-insurgency-in-turkey-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2408380&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Kurdish militants from the Kurdistan Workers&#8217; Party\u2062 (PKK) \u200chave announced\u2064 a ceasefire following a \u206340-year insurgency in Turkey, perhaps\u2062 signaling \u2062a significant shift in relations with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan&#8217;s goverment. This declaration comes after the group\u2019s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, called for disarmament during a recent visit from Kurdish politicians.\u200c The PKK stated that the ceasefire \u2064is intended \u2064to facilitate the implementation of ocalan&#8217;s vision for peace and a democratic society, \u200bemphasizing that their forces will refrain from armed action unless provoked.<\/p>\n<p>This advancement follows ongoing changes in the regional geopolitical landscape, \u200cincluding shifts in Syria and the weakening of Hezbollah\u2062 in Lebanon. Erdogan&#8217;s governance\u2064 has yet \u200cto formally respond but suggested that this could be a pivotal moment towards achieving a terror-free Turkey. The conflict with the PKK, which is deemed \u2063a\u200d terrorist association by Turkey and its Western allies, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths as it began in \u200b1984. The ceasefire \u200bmarks one of the first steps towards <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israel-receives-list-of-hostages-to-be-released-saturday-by-hamas\/\" title=\"Hamas sends Israel list of hostages to be freed on Saturday\">renewed peace talks<\/a>,which \u2064had previously\u200b stalled in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>In a broader \u200ccontext, erdogan&#8217;s government may be seeking Kurdish \u2063support to reform the constitution, aiming to secure his continued leadership beyond the end of his current term in 2028. While some Kurdish factions welcome these developments, others, such as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, \u2064do not recognize \u2062the PKK&#8217;s ceasefire as relevant to their \u2064operations in Syria. The Turkish government insists that \u2063all Kurdish groups associated with the PKK must disband\u2064 to move forward.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Kurdish militants declare a ceasefire in a 40-year insurgency in Turkey<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2024572\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>ISTANBUL (AP) &mdash;<\/strong> Kurdish militants who have waged a 40-year insurgency in Turkey declared a ceasefire on Saturday in what could mark a significant boost to President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/recep-tayyip-erdogan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Recep Tayyip Erdogan&rsquo;s<\/a>&nbsp;government, two days after their imprisoned leader&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/turkey-pkk-ocalan-peace-talks-68decd55c35fa537f04b117bc9736128\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">called for the group to disarm<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement by the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/kurdistan-workers-party\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Kurdistan Workers&rsquo; Party<\/a>, or PKK, comes against the backdrop of fundamental changes in the region, including the reconfiguration of power in neighboring&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/syria\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Syria<\/a>&nbsp;after the toppling of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/bashar-assad\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">President Bashar Assad<\/a>, the weakening of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/lebanon-israel-nawaf-salam-aitaroun-funeral-hezbollah-44f5d696af02fe31e8229e200f66d77d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Hezbollah militant movement in Lebanon<\/a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/israel-hamas-war\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Israel-Hamas war<\/a>&nbsp;in Gaza.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/3334377\/texas-measles-cases-rise-to-146-in-an-outbreak-that-led-to-a-childs-death\/\">Texas measles cases rise to 146 in an outbreak that led to a child&#8217;s death<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3334372\/gene-hackman-and-his-wife-tested-negative-for-carbon-monoxide-sheriff-says\/\">Gene Hackman and his wife tested negative for carbon monoxide, sheriff says<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3331344\/israel-strike-southern-syria-pacify-damascus\/\">Israel launches major airstrikes against Syria after announcing new policy to &#8216;pacify&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The government is yet to respond in detail to the PKK&rsquo;s declaration but Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz posted on X that a &ldquo;new phase has been entered towards the goal of a terror-free Turkey. &hellip; We hope that this opportunity will be seized, this effort will be concluded quickly and successfully.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/turkey-kurds-pkk-peace-ocalan-dem-prison-3d6e7e2c0cedcb87d4bd145667d79ae1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">conflict between Turkey and the PKK<\/a>&nbsp;has led to tens of thousands of deaths since it began in 1984. The ceasefire is the first sign of a breakthrough since peace talks between the PKK and Ankara broke down in the summer of 2015.<\/p>\n<p>The PKK declaration was published by the Firat News Agency, a media outlet close to the group, on Saturday. It referred to the insurgents&rsquo; leader,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/abdullah-ocalan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Abdullah Ocalan<\/a>, who has been imprisoned by Turkey since 1999.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We declare a ceasefire effective today to pave the way for the implementation of Leader Apo&rsquo;s call for peace and democratic society. None of our forces will take armed action unless attacked,&rdquo; it said, referring to Ocalan by his nickname.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A ceasefire follows a campaign of pressure on Kurds<\/h2>\n<p>On Thursday, a delegation of Kurdish politicians announced Ocalan&rsquo;s call for the PKK to lay down its arms and disband after visiting him on his island prison.<\/p>\n<p>In its statement, the PKK&rsquo;s executive committee said Ocalan&rsquo;s call indicated that a &ldquo;new historical process has begun in Kurdistan and the Middle East.&rdquo; Kurdistan refers to the parts of Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran inhabited by Kurds.<\/p>\n<p>While stating that it would &ldquo;comply with and implement the requirements of the call from our own side,&rdquo; the PKK emphasized that &ldquo;democratic politics and legal grounds must also be suitable for success.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Ocalan&rsquo;s call came as the main pro-Kurdish political party in Turkey has faced pressure, with several of its&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/turkey-ousts-prokurdish-mayors-5aba9ba471ecc222c6fbba535a9e6546\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">mayors being removed from office<\/a>&nbsp;in recent months and replaced by government appointees.<\/p>\n<p>The PKK also appealed for Ocalan to be released from Imrali prison, located in the Marmara Sea, to &ldquo;personally direct and execute&rdquo; a party congress that would lead to the militants laying down their arms.<\/p>\n<p>The peace initiative between the Turkish state and the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, was started in October by Erdogan&rsquo;s coalition partner, Devlet Bahceli, a far-right politician who suggested that Ocalan could be granted parole if his group renounces violence and disbands.<\/p>\n<p>Erdogan said Ocalan&rsquo;s message was a &ldquo;new phase&rdquo; in peace efforts in Turkey.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There is an opportunity to take a historic step toward tearing down the wall of terror that has stood between (Turkish and Kurdish peoples&rsquo;) 1,000-year-old brotherhood,&rdquo; Erdogan said on Friday.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Erdogan&rsquo;s allies eye Kurdish support for changing the constitution<\/h2>\n<p>Some believe the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-life-pro-family-mother-becomes-first-female-president-of-hungary\/\" title=\"Pro...Life, Pro...Family Mother Becomes First Female President Of Hungary\">main aim<\/a> of the reconciliation effort is for Erdogan&rsquo;s government to garner Kurdish support for a new constitution that would allow him to remain in power beyond 2028, when his term ends.<\/p>\n<p>Bahceli has openly called for a new constitution, saying it was essential for Turkey&rsquo;s future that Erdogan remain in power. Erdogan and Bahceli are reportedly seeking parliamentary support from the pro-Kurdish People&rsquo;s Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There will be a series of meetings next week, including state officials and politicians, and many things will become clearer and more concrete. We hope that everything will be arranged in the next three months,&rdquo; said Sirri Sureyya Onder, one of the DEM members who visited Ocalan in prison on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Ocalan, 75, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">wields significant influence<\/a> in the Kurdish movement despite his 25-year imprisonment, during which the PKK has been led by top figures who have fled and found sanctuary in the Kurdish region in northern Iraq.<\/p>\n<p>In Syria, Kurdish fighters &mdash; who have ties to the PKK &mdash; have been involved in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/syria-war-assad-kurds-rebels-turkey-us-2b4af609c4dcf853ac6d7a22d3dccf5d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">intense fighting<\/a>&nbsp;with Turkish-backed forces on the ground there.<\/p>\n<p>The leader of the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has said Ocalan&rsquo;s call for a ceasefire does not apply to his group in Syria.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3292730\/all-executive-orders-actions-trump-first-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FULL LIST OF EXECUTIVE ORDERS, ACTIONS, AND PROCLAMATIONS TRUMP HAS MADE AS PRESIDENT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/turkey-seeks-pkk-dissolution-iraq-syria-339872cd915fd77414507306517e87b5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Turkish government, however, says all Kurdish groups<\/a>&nbsp;it claims are tied to the PKK &mdash; whether in Turkey, Syria or Iraq &mdash; must disband.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, the PKK has been limited to isolated attacks inside Turkey as the Turkish military, backed by armed drones, has pushed PKK insurgents increasingly across the mountainous border into Iraq.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2024572\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2024572\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kurdish militants announce a ceasefire in Turkey&#8217;s 40-year conflict<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2634,"featured_media":2408381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kurdish-forces.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[13427,51361,51360,7623,32076],"class_list":["post-2408380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ceasefire","tag-insurgency","tag-kurdish-militants","tag-turkey","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kurdish-forces.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2408380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2634"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2408380"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2408380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2408384,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2408380\/revisions\/2408384"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2408381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2408380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2408380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2408380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}