The PKK has "waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984", said Politico. Originally, it aimed to create an independent state for Kurds, an ethnic group of about 40 million people spread over Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. Such independence was promised by the allied powers after the First World War, but never granted.

Militant group PKK’s plan to disband could stop bloodshed that killed more than 40,000 — and strengthen Erdoğan

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party said it will disarm and disband as part of a peace initiative with Turkey, the PKK-affiliated Firat News Agency reported.