Erdogan says 'Turkiye has won' after Kurdish PKK fighters disarm

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said connected Saturday (July 12, 2025)his state had achieved triumph aft Kurdish rebels destroyed their weapons, ending their decades-long equipped conflict against Ankara.

Friday's symbolic weapons demolition ceremonial successful Iraqi Kurdistan marked a large measurement successful the modulation of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) from equipped insurgency to antiauthoritarian authorities — portion of a broader effort to extremity 1 of the region's longest-running conflicts.

"Turkiye has won. Eighty-six cardinal citizens person won," Mr. Erdogan said. "We cognize what we are doing. Nobody needs to interest oregon inquire questions. We are doing each this for Turkiye, for our future".

The PKK was formed successful 1978 by Ankara University students, with the eventual extremity of achieving the Kurds' liberation done equipped struggle. It took up arms successful 1984 and the ensuing struggle has outgo much than 40,000 lives.