Kurdish separatist fighters in Iraq begin laying down weapons as part of peace process with Turkey
PBS NewsHour4 days
PKK Burns Weapons in a Step Towards Peace With Turkey
Above: The Kurdistan Workers' Party laying down its weapons in northern Iraq on July 11, 2025. Image copyright: Stringer/Anadolu/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-government narrative
This historic disarmament represents a major victory for Turkey's security and national unity. The PKK's decision to lay down arms validates decades of Turkish military pressure and demonstrates that terrorism cannot succeed against a determined state. Erdoğan's leadership has finally achieved what previous governments could not — bringing an end to a conflict that cost 40,000 lives.
Government-critical narrative
The peace process remains fragile and conditional on Turkey addressing legitimate Kurdish demands for cultural rights and political representation. Without Öcalan's release and constitutional protections for Kurdish identity, this disarmament could collapse like previous attempts in 2015. True peace requires Ankara to abandon its assimilationist policies and recognize Kurdish political aspirations.