Key dates in PKK Kurdish militant group's decades-long armed struggle against Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey — Fighters with the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, began laying down their weapons on Friday in a symbolic ceremony marking a first step toward a promised disarmament.

The gesture is part of a peace effort with Turkey that could bring an end to one of the world's longest-running conflicts. For decades, the insurgency has extended beyond Turkey's borders into northern Iraq and northern Syria, claiming tens of thousands of lives.

Here are some key dates in the history of the group that is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and several Western nations:

Nov. 27, 1978

The PKK — an acronym for its Kurdish name, Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan — is officially founded in the village of Fis, in Turkey's mainly-Kurdish province of Diyarbakir by Abdullah Ocalan and a group of political science students from Ankara University. The Marxist organization was initially established to create an independent Kurdish state, but its objectives evolved over time to include autonomy and greater rights for Kurds, who make up an estimated 20% of the population.

1980

A military coup in Turkey forces much of the PKK to flee to neighboring countries such as Syria and Lebanon, where the fighters train in the Bekaa Valley. Ocalan leaves a year earlier, in 1979.

Aug. 15, 1984

The PKK carries out its first armed attack against Turkish security posts, marking the start of its armed insurgency.

1998

Turkey issues an ultimatum to Syria, warning Damascus to expel Ocalan or face military action. The pressure forces Ocalan to leave his long-time base. Ocalan would spend the next four months traveling between several European countries, including Russia, Italy and Greece.

Feb. 15, 1999

Ocalan is captured in Nairobi, Kenya by Turkish special forces — reportedly with assistance from the CIA. He is flown to Turkey and jailed on Imrali island in the Sea of Marmara, off Istanbul.

June 29, 1999

Ocalan is convicted of treason and sentenced to death. His sentence is later commuted to life imprisonment, after Turkey abolishes the death penalty in 2002.

August 1999

Ocalan calls on his groups to declare a unilateral ceasefire and withdraw from Turkish territory. The PKK announces a ceasefire that remains largely in effect until 2004.

2009-2011

PKK representatives hold secret talks with Turkish intelligence officers in Oslo, Norway, which ultimately break down.

March 21, 2013

Ocalan calls on the PKK to lay down arms in a letter read during celebrations of the Kurdish spring festival of Newroz, marking the beginning of the peace initiative dubbed the ''Solution Process.''

July 20, 2015

A deadly bomb attack targeting Kurds near the Syrian border leads to the collapse of the peace initiative and resumption of conflict.

Oct. 22, 2024

Devlet Bahceli, leader of Turkey's far-right nationalist party that's allied with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, suggests parole for Ocalan, if his group renounces violence and disbands, hinting at the start of a renewed peace initiative.

Oct. 23, 2024

PKK attack on a defense company near Ankara kills five people and wounds more than 20 others. Turkey retaliates with airstrikes on suspected Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria.

Feb. 27, 2025

Ocalan issues message from prison calling on PKK to disarm and disband.

March 1, 2025

PKK declares ceasefire and expresses readiness to convene a party congress to dissolve itself.

March 5-7, 2025

PKK says it has held a party congress in two locations in northern Iraq.

May 12, 2025

PKK announces decision to dissolve itself and end its armed struggle.

July 9, 2025

Ocalan renews call for fighters to lay down their arms in a video message broadcast on pro-Kurdish media.

July 11, 2025

A group of 30 PKK fighters burn their weapons in northern Iraq in a symbolic ceremony.