Analysis: the end of the PKK after 40 years of war and thousands dead

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK, by its Kurdish acronym) was founded in 1978 by Abdullah Öcalan, a political science student in Turkey, as a response to the systematic oppression of the country's Kurdish population.

The Kurds, an ethnic group of around 30 million people spread across Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Iran, have faced cultural, linguistic, and political restrictions since the redrawing of borders following World War I.

The PKK was founded with the initial goal of creating an independent Kurdish state that would include parts of southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, northwestern Iran, northeastern Syria, and small areas of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Over time, however, it shifted its demands toward greater autonomy and cultural rights within Turkish territory.

Abdullah Öcalan, the legendary leader of the PKK

Abdullah Öcalan, 76, has been the central figure of the PKK since its founding. Despite being imprisoned since 1999 on the island of Imrali, off the coast of Istanbul, his influence remains decisive.

In recent years, Öcalan promoted a model of "democratic federalism," a vision of decentralized self-government that did not necessarily entail separation from Turkey. The group also positioned itself as a proponent of women's liberation and minority rights.

Armed struggle and its designation as a terrorist organization

The PKK launched its armed struggle in 1984 with attacks on military and government targets in southeastern Turkey, a region with a Kurdish majority. The insurgency employed guerrilla tactics, including ambushes and sabotage, against the Turkish Army and police.

The conflict escalated throughout the 1980s and 1990s, marked by frequent clashes in rural and mountainous regions. The PKK also established bases in the Qandil Mountains of northern Iraq, using them to coordinate cross-border operations.

In recent years, the group was indirectly involved in the fight against Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria through the People's Protection Units (YPG, by its Kurdish acronym), which Ankara views as an extension of the PKK and which forms the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). This role brought the group some international visibility, though not official legitimacy.

The PKK has been considered a terrorist organization by Turkey since its inception, due to its armed actions against the state. Additionally, the United States, the European Union, NATO, and other countries allied with Ankara have included it on their lists of terrorist organizations, particularly following attacks in the 1980s and 1990s.

This designation complicated the PKK's relations with international actors and restricted its access to funding and political support.

The armed conflict with Turkey

The PKK carried out numerous attacks, including bombings in Turkish cities, assaults on military posts, and kidnappings of officials. Among the most notorious were the 2016 bombing in Ankara, which killed 37 and wounded 122, and clashes in Diyarbakir and other cities in southeastern Turkey during the height of the conflict. The last major PKK attack occurred last October, when two PKK members detonated explosives and opened fire at the TUSAS aerospace and defense company near Ankara, killing five people and wounding 22 others.

On the other hand, the PKK faced intense attacks from Turkey, which launched large-scale military operations, including air and ground incursions into northern Iraq and Syria. Operations like the Garra campaigns, initiated in 2019, aimed to dismantle PKK bases and resulted in numerous casualties, both within the group and among civilians.

In addition, Turkish intelligence captured key leaders and carried out targeted assassinations of PKK commanders.

The influence of the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria

The fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria in December 2024 had a significant impact on the PKK and its decision to disband. Through its YPG and SDF allies, the PKK had established a strong presence in northeastern Syria, controlling areas like Rojava under a Kurdish self-rule model.

During the Syrian civil war, the YPG became key U.S. allies in the fight against ISIS, granting the PKK indirect strategic relevance. However, the fall of Assad and the rise of a new government led by the radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) significantly altered the landscape.

Turkey, which supported the Syrian opposition, intensified its pressure to limit Kurdish influence in Syria, viewing the YPG as a direct threat due to its links to the PKK.

The loss of tacit support from a weakened Syrian regime and Turkey's growing hostility in the region reduced the PKK's room for maneuver, weakening its strategic position. This shift likely influenced Öcalan's decision to advocate for dissolution, as instability in Syria and the absence of reliable allies made it increasingly difficult to continue the armed struggle.

PKK dissolution and the end of a struggle that left 40,000 dead

On May 12, 2025, the PKK announced its dissolution following its 12th Congress, held from May 5-7 in northern Iraq. The decision, prompted by Öcalan's call, marked the end of a more than 40-year insurgency that resulted in at least 40,000 deaths. The group declared that it had "fulfilled its historic mission" and that Kurdish issues could now be addressed through democratic politics.

Turkey took the news cautiously, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government emphasizing that the process must involve full disarmament and apply to all PKK branches and affiliates, including the YPG in Syria.

Earlier, in February 2025, Öcalan made a historic call for the PKK to lay down its arms and disband, opening the door to potential democratic reform.

Days later, on March 1, the PKK announced an immediate ceasefire with Turkish forces.

The president of the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani, hailed the dissolution as a "decisive step" toward peace and stability in Turkey and the Middle East. The international community, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres, also expressed optimism, though he urged that the process be fully implemented.