Kurdish fighters called for a ceasefire, but Turkey continued his fatal strike

Two weeks later, Turkish troops continued deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq with fighters linked to Kurdish rebel group PKK.

Based in the Kandil Mountains in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region, PKK leaders responded to the appeal of founder Abdullah Okaran by announcing a unilateral ceasefire on March 1.

Previous efforts to negotiate an end to the 40-year turkey PKK conflict, which killed more than 40,000 people, have failed. This time, Turkish officials have made little public information about the status of any consultations. However, the process still appears to be moving forward, and analysts say Turkey has not discussed its progress to avoid potential domestic backlash.

What is PKK?

For more than 40 years, Turkey has fought armed rebellions by the Kurdistan Workers' Party or the PKK, an extremist group seeking greater rights for the country's Kurdish minority.

The group began fighting the Turkish state in the early 1980s. Initially, they are seeking independence for Kurdish people, which are thought to make up more than 15% of Türkiye's population.

PKK fighters, beginning in mountains in eastern and southern Turkey, attacked Turkish military bases and police stations, spurring government responses. The conflict then spread to other parts of the country, with devastating PKK bombings in Turkish cities that killed many civilians.

Over the past decade, Turkish forces have routed PKK troops from major Kurdish cities in southeastern Turkey, using drones to kill leaders and fighter jets, hindering their ability to organize and execute attacks.

Where is the peace negotiations standing?

Okaran, founder of the PKK, was revealed to the fighter jets on February 27, laid his weapons and disbanded. He said armed struggles should be replaced with peaceful political action in order to seek to gain more rights for the Kurds, the largest ethnic minority in Turkey.

The PKK leadership answered the call by declaring a one-sided ceasefire. However, Turkey did not return.

Last week, the rear of Turkish Ministry of Defense spokesman Zeki Akturk said that the Turkish military “deciding to fight terrorism and will resolve it until there is no one terrorist left.” Turkey considers all members of the PKK and other related groups as “terrorists.”

Admiral Ataturk said Turkey had killed 26 “terrorists” in Syria and Iraq the previous week, killing nearly 1,500 since January.

The PKK does not support these numbers. However, the military building said last week that Turkey recently carried out more than 800 strikes on the group's position in northern Iraq, using fighter jets, helicopters and artillery.

Peace talks have not created a bilateral ceasefire to date, and Turkish leaders have vowed to maintain military pressure on the PKK, which Turkey and the United States consider to be terrorist organizations.

“Of course, we will prioritize dialogue, settlement and consultation to resolve our issues,” President Recept Tayyip Erdogan said this month. “But if the hand we stretch out is left in the air or bitten, we will always keep our iron fist ready.”

What does Turkey want?

Turkish officials have described the target as a unilateral surrender by the PKK, which the fighter is expected to be disarmed, but there has been no public debate about the concessions or potential pardons the government has provided in return for those seeking PKK-related activities.

“The group understood the fact that they could not achieve anything due to fear, live longer than their lifespan and have no choice but to disband themselves,” said Admiral Ataturk, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense. “The PKK and all related groups must end terrorist activities, disband themselves, and abandon their weapons while unconditionally placing them.”

Erdogan also said that if the PKK stalls or peace talks go into a deadlock, Turkey will continue to use its military force.

“We will continue our ongoing operations until the final terrorists are eliminated. We will not leave one stone at a time, without head above our shoulders, if necessary,” he said.

What does the PKK want?

The PKK and its associated groups have long sought greater rights for the Kurds in Turkish. Turkish language and culture have been suppressed since Turkey was formed after World War I. Some schools in Türkiye offer elective language courses, while some Kurdish broadcasters are licensed by the state.

Last week, PKK official Mustafa Karas said in a television interview that while the group is serious about disarmament, turkeys must stop hitting the PKK position. He went on to say that Okaran needed more freedom to help lead the group's transition.

“We will make the transformation that our leadership has said, the disbandment of the PKK and the armed struggle end, and no one should doubt that,” Karas said. “And naturally, the state, the government should do what is necessary about democratization without adopting excuses.”

Okaran's call was preceded in consultations that included Turkish officials, Okaran, Iraqi Kurdish leaders and members of Turkey's major Kurdish political parties.

Are Kurdish-led troops in Syria affected?

Okaran is also the figure of a Kurdish-led militia, the Syrian democrats who control territory in northeastern Syria.

The Turkish government considers its militias as derivatives of the PKK and does not publicly distinguish them. However, the US sees the two groups very differently, and has been allied with the SDF for a decade in combating the jihadists of the Syrian Islamic State.

On Monday, the SDF leader reached an agreement with Syrian interim president Ahmed Alshara and signed a contract to integrate Kurdish-led troops into the new Syrian state.

Although Okaran did not specifically mention Syria in his call for disarmament, Syrian Kurdish leaders say the agreement is in line with Okaran's leadership.