PKK

Coup to crackdown: Erdogan’s unfinished war on Turkey’s Kurds - opinion

Fifteen percent of the Turkish population, approximately 16 million, are Kurds, and Erdogan needs to accept that they have a right to live their lives as they see fit.

|ByALON BEN-MEIR
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seen at parliament last Wednesday. The president’s consolidation of power since 2016 has reshaped institutions, narrowed civil liberties, and placed entire communities, particularly Kurds, under intensified repression and persecution, the writer says.
GENERAL HUSSEIN Yazdanpanah of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) in front of PAK troops.

'We'll fight side by side in Rojava,' Kurdistan Freedom Party leader tells 'Post' - interview

The Office of General Yazdanpanah criticised Western inaction regarding the situation for the Kurds in Syria, continuing: “Rojava will fall if we Kurds don’t consider their struggle as ours.”

|BySUSAN QUITAZ
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the media at the end of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, November 23, 2025

Syrian deal with SDF could lead to Turkey-PKK peace, Turkish officials say

After days of fighting, the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed on Sunday to bring Kurdish authorities under the control of Damascus.

|ByREUTERS
A group of civilians carry bags and belongings as they flee following renewed clashes between the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Aleppo, Syria, January 7, 2026

Kurdish refugees flee Syria as government forces gain ground

Over 500 Kurdish families have fled Syria amid escalating clashes between Syrian government forces and Kurdish-led groups, as fears grow over the potential collapse of the SDF.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Turkey sets up parliamentary commission to oversee PKK disarmament

The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies, began its insurgency in 1984.

AUGUST 5, 2025ByREUTERS
A KURDISH man carries a flag with a portrait of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan during Nowruz festival celebrations in Beirut, in March.

Syria's defense ministry and Kurdish-led SDF trade blame over attack in northern Syria

The defense ministry accused the SDF of carrying out a rocket barrage on one of the army's outposts in the city's countryside, injuring four troops and three civilians.

AUGUST 3, 2025ByREUTERS
Internal Security Forces officers escort a Druze prisoner and prevent him from being attacked by Bedouins, at an Internal Security Forces checkpoint working to prevent Bedouin fighters from advancing towards Sweida, following renewed fighting between Bedouin and Druze, Sweida, Syria, July 19, 2025.

Unidentified drone kills PKK member, injures another near Iraq's Sulaymaniyah, sources say

Drone attacks in Iraq have become more frequent in recent months, though this is the first attack near Sulaymaniyah in months, sources said.

JULY 19, 2025ByREUTERS
Smoke rises after a drone attack targeted oil facilities in the Zakho area of Iraq's Kurdistan region, Iraq July 16, 2025.

For Iraq's Kurdistan area, Kurdish-Turkey deal provides hope for new era in region - analysis

The decision by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to lay down its arms and apparently disband has reverberated across the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.

JULY 13, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Pro-Kurd protesters hold flags with portraits of jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. February 16, 2019.

PKK disarmament opens new page for Turkey, President Erdogan says

Erdogan said the recent steps to disarm have united Turkey, and now the parliament will help facilitate the disarmament process.

JULY 12, 2025ByREUTERS
Armed PKK fighters arrive ahead of a disarming ceremony in Sulaimaniya, Iraq, July 11, 2025, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video.

Jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan says armed struggle with Turkey over

The video marks a rare and pivotal moment in the long-running conflict, offering what could be Erdogan's most significant opportunity yet to seal a political settlement to the Kurdish issue.

JULY 9, 2025ByREUTERS
Syrian Kurds hold flags as they gather after Turkey's jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to lay down its arms on Thursday, a move that could end its 40-year conflict with Ankara and have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region,

PKK moves towards peace: Ocalan’s historic appeal for a democratic future - analysis

The PKK had said it would lay down its arms and disband back in May. However, it is not clear when this process will begin and how long it will take.

JULY 9, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A demonstrator holds a picture of jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan during a rally in Diyarbakir, Turkey, February 27, 2025.

Kurdish PKK militants to begin handing over arms in Iraq on Friday, NTV says

The PKK, in a conflict with Turkey for over 40 years, decided in May to disband after a public call from jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan in February.

JULY 8, 2025ByREUTERS
Syrian Kurds hold up an image of Turkey's jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan as they gather after Ocalan called on his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to lay down its arms on Thursday, in Hasakah, Syria February 27, 2025.

Twelve Turkish soldiers killed by gas exposure during cave search in Iraq

The incident took place during a mission to locate the remains of a Turkish soldier killed by the PKK. Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM party will meet with Erdogan to discuss a peace process with the PKK.

JULY 7, 2025ByREUTERS
An Iraqi federal police officer stands outside a tunnel, which was used by Islamic State terrorists, in Mosul, Iraq, February 4, 2017.

PKK disarmament talks could reshape Iraq, Syria and Turkey relations - analysis

Both Iraq and Syria would benefit from having Turkish troops withdraw. Politics at home in Turkey can also be transformed. 

MAY 18, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Syrian Kurds hold up an image of Turkey's jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan as they gather after Ocalan called on his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to lay down its arms on Thursday, in Hasakah, Syria February 27, 2025.