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A group from the PKK terrorist organization destroyed their weapons in the city of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, in a ceremony witnessed by Turkish intelligence officials, Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) security forces and civil society representatives.
The weapon destruction took place in the Surdash district of Sulaymaniyah province. The PKK members gathered in a cave within the boundaries of the Surdash sub-district before emerging with their weapons to join the assembled crowd.
The terrorists then destroyed their weapons by throwing them into a large cauldron containing fire.
The ceremony was conducted in an open area where various officials and observers had gathered to witness the disarmament process.
The symbolic ceremony took place around 11:45 a.m. local time near Dukan Lake in Sulaymaniyah province, an area controlled by the PUK, 70 kilometers from Sulaymaniyah and 120 kilometers from Erbil.
According to initial reports, around 30 PKK members burned their weapons at the Iraq ceremony. A group of 30 PKK members, including 15 women, destroyed their weapons by throwing them into a large, flaming cauldron. At the site, a ringleader of the terrorist organization read a message in Turkish and Kurdish.
"We voluntarily destroy our weapons, in your presence, as a step of goodwill and determination," a senior terrorist member said during the ceremony.
Recently, Omer Celik, a spokesman for Türkiye's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), stated that the disarmament process should not be allowed to drag on longer than a few months to avoid it becoming subject to provocations.
The disarmament follows a statement in February by imprisoned PKK ringleader Abdullah Ocalan, who called for the group’s dissolution and an end to its armed campaign. In May, the PKK officially announced its decision to disband and surrender arms.
In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants, and the elderly.
According to organizers, the terrorist group’s full disarmament is expected to be completed by the end of September. The process will be monitored by Türkiye and Iraq.
PKK terrorists have used northern Iraq, near the Turkish border, to hide out and plan attacks on Türkiye.
"This marks a historic step," Turkish and Iraqi media representatives were told outside a hotel near the Dukan Lake.
The disarmament process is part of the broader "terror-free Türkiye" initiative, which was championed by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli and strongly backed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"As of today, the separatist (PKK) terrorist group has begun surrendering their weapons, and historic developments are beginning to unfold toward closure of a dark era," MHP Chairman Devlet Bahceli said in his first statements after reports of PKK's disarmament. "The goal of a terror-free Türkiye has made progress through firm and sound steps," he added.
"With the completion of the weapon surrender process within the set timeline, painful memories will be left behind, and the Turkish nation will become the architect and axis of the new century," Bahceli added.
"A critical threshold has been crossed toward achieving a terror-free Türkiye. The dissolution of the (PKK terrorist group)and the destruction/surrender of weapons must be completed in a short time," Türkiye's ruling AK Party Spokesperson Omer Celik said.
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