Kurdish militant group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (P.K.K.), has announced a ceasefire with the Turkish government, following a call from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan who urged the group to lay down its arms.
The P.K.K. executive committee announced the ceasefire in a statement on Saturday.
“In order to pave the way for the implementation of leader Apo's call for peace and democratic society, we are declaring a ceasefire effective from today,” said the statement quoted by the Kurdish ANF news agency.
Ocalan, who is referred to as Apo by the P.K.K., called on the group this week to dissolve itself with the aim of ending four decades of armed conflict in southeastern Turkey.
The P.K.K executive committee emphasized in the statement that none of its forces “will take armed action unless attacked,” expressing hope that Turkey would release Ocalan who has been in jail since 1999.
The P.K.K. is designated as a terrorist group by Turkey. It began its armed conflict in 1984.
Last October, a coalition partner to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested that Ocalan could be granted parole if his group renounces violence.
4208**4194
Your Comment