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Masked men hold up pictures of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan on March 19, 2006
Image: Serkan Senturk/ZUMAPRESS.com/picture alliance

Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)

The PKK was a militant Kurdish organization, designated as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. It launched its armed struggle in the 1980s but disbanded in 2025.

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News

July 11, 2025

PKK fighters begin handing over weapons at ceremony

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Skip next section Reports & Analysis

Reports & Analysis

A group of armed PKK fighters walk in a row

Turkey: An end to the Kurdish conflict?

Turkey: An end to the Kurdish conflict?

After decades of armed conflict, the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party is laying down arms.
ConflictsJuly 19, 202509:50 min
PKK fighters line up and symbolically lay their guns into a cauldron in Iraqi Kurdistan

Peace with PKK could boost Turkey's status in Middle East

Peace with PKK could boost Turkey's status in Middle East

After four decades of fighting Turkey's government, the Kurdistan Workers' Party has symbolically laid down its arms.
ConflictsJuly 13, 2025
Kurdish fighters putting their weapons into a pit to be burned

Kurdish PKK fighters in Iraq burn their weapons

Kurdish PKK fighters in Iraq burn their weapons

After decades of fighting Turkey's government and over 40,000 deaths, the Kurdistan Workers' Party is laying down arms.
ConflictsJuly 12, 202502:57 min
PKK fighters in Northern Iraq (file photo)

PKK begins to lay down arms as it ends insurgency

PKK begins to lay down arms as it ends insurgency

DW spoke with people who lost loved ones in the Turkey-PKK war and learned about their hopes for lasting peace.
PoliticsJuly 10, 202504:09 min
Protesters in Istanbul with one protestor holding a poster of Istanbul's detained Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu

Turkey: Government silences last critical media outlets

Turkey: Government silences last critical media outlets

Turkish media are considered close to the government. Now the two largest critical broadcasters are being targeted.
PoliticsJuly 9, 2025
Recruits of PEJAK, the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan, a splinter group of the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers Party, stand in line in the PEJAK training camp in the Qandil mountain range, northern Iraq, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2006

What does the end of the PKK mean for Turkey?

What does the end of the PKK mean for Turkey?

The PKK has agreed to stop fighting. What does it mean for members, for Turkish politics and neighboring countries?
PoliticsMay 15, 2025
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Skip next section In the spotlight

In the spotlight

A woman flashes a victory sign as she takes part in a pro-Kurdish march

End to violence in Turkey? PKK leader tells group to disband

Jailed leader of the militant Kurdish Workers' Party, Abdullah Ocalan, has called upon the PKK to disarm and disband.
ConflictsFebruary 27, 2025
Deutschland | Großdemo der Kurden in Köln

Turkey and the Kurdish PKK: 40 years of conflict

Turkey may release jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan ahead of an anticipated call for peace.
ConflictsFebruary 27, 202504:05 min
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) shakes the hand of Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Leader Devlet Bahceli (L)

Turkey: What's behind Erdogan's outreach to Kurds?

The Turkish government is sending ambiguous signals to the Kurds. What is the president trying to achieve?
PoliticsNovember 20, 2024
Three flags of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fly at a rally

Turkey, the Kurds and the PKK

The PKK has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in Ankara. Who is the PKK and what do they strive for?
PoliticsOctober 25, 2024
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