‘We are here’: Kurdish club Amedspor shakes up Turkish football
The Diyarbakir-based club have risen from the third tier to a top-of-the-table clash in the Turkish Super Lig.
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PKK disarmament opens ‘new page in history’ for Turkiye, Erdogan says
After announcing they would disarm, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) began destroying their weapons in northern Iraq.
From: Inside Story
Why has the PKK ended its armed struggle?
Members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party lay down their arms after decades of war with Turkiye.
Published On 11 Jul 2025
From: NewsFeed
PKK fighters cast weapons into fire to mark start of disarmament
PKK fighters gathered in northern Iraq to symbolically cast their weapons into a fire, marking the start of disarmament.
Published On 11 Jul 2025
PKK begins disarmament process after 40 years of armed struggle in Turkiye
Fighters from PKK begin symbolic disarmament in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region, ending decades-long battle with Turkiye.
US to reduce military presence in Syria, keeping only one base operational
US envoy says Syria strategy ‘will not be like the last 100 years’ as troops pull out.
![US military convoy travels across northeastern Syria during a joint exercise with the Syrian Democratic Forces on December 8, 2021 [File: Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]](/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/AP21343483703410.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
The Kurdish Workers’ Party, the PKK - designated a terror group by Turkiye, the US and the EU - plans to disband. The announcement follows a February 2025 call by leader Abdullah Ocalan, imploring members to lay down their arms. Turkiye welcomed the plan. The question, perhaps, is why now?
In 1978, Ocalan cofounded the PKK with leftist students, to advocate for a Kurdish state. Among them was the “legend”, Sakine Cansiz, who would later be mysteriously assassinated.
During the late 1980s, the PKK targeted the Turkish military, and in the early ’90s kidnapped tourists in Turkiye, carried out suicide bombings and attacked Turkish offices in Europe.
For more than a decade, Ocalan was based in Syria, but was finally expelled in 1998 in the face of Turkish threats. He sought asylum in Russia, Italy, Greece and, finally, Kenya.
On February 15, 1999, Ocalan left the Greek embassy in Nairobi and was captured by Turkish agents. He was tried in Turkiye, sentenced to death (later commuted to life) and imprisoned to this day on Imrali Island.
In 1999, Ocalan called for a ceasefire but in 2004, Turkish security forces were called back into action after the PKK resumed its campaign of violence.
In late 2012, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed his government had started secret peace talks with Ocalan. But in January 2013 in Paris, Cansiz, the PKK cofounder, was assassinated. Turkiye’s intelligence service denied any involvement. By 2015, fighting had broken out yet again.
Ten years later, on May 12, the PKK pledged to disband, a historic decision Erdogan’s administration welcomed. Some have speculated peace could help Erdogan win the 2028 elections, given Kurds make up almost 20 percent of Turkiye’s 85 million people.
But after 22 years in power, Erdogan says he will not seek re-election in 2028. He also says Turkiye needs a new constitution. And it’s that new constitution that Turkish voters will likely be eyeing closely.
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What does the PKK’s disarming mean for its regional allies?
Syria’s SDF is unlikely to follow the PKK’s lead and disarm, but talks with Damascus could be bolstered.
Kurdish leader Ocalan told the PKK to disband, it did: Here’s what to know
PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is leading peace efforts to end a Kurdish armed rebellion against Turkiye after four decades.
From: NewsFeed
PKK disbands, potentially ending decades of conflict in Turkiye
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has announced that it plans to disband and disarm.
Published On 12 May 2025
From: NewsFeed
PKK to formally disband and lay down its weapons
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has announced that it plans to disband and disarm
Published On 12 May 2025
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