Turkey must push through legal reforms to allow PKK militants to return home without fear of being jailed or killed, a top commander told AFP after the Kurdish militant group began disarming Friday.

During a symbolic ceremony on Friday, thirty fighters from the Kurdish separatist group destroyed their weapons, marking a major step toward ending the group’s decades-long conflict with Turkey.

Turkey and Iraq welcomed the PKK's symbolic disarmament as a historic step toward peace. While Erdogan praised the move, Baghdad highlighted its potential for regional stability. The challenge now is transforming this gesture into lasting reconciliation.

Kurdish PKK militants want to return to Turkey and enter democratic political life, one of the group's joint leaders told AFP on Friday after the fighters began destroying their arms.

Kurdish militants want to return to Turkey and enter mainstream politics, one of the PKK's joint leaders told AFP on Friday after the group's fighters began destroying their arms at

The imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party has renewed his call for fighters to disarm. Abdullah Ocalan emphasized in a video message on Wednesday the importance of abandoning armed conflict and embracing peace through politics.

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq is expected to give up its weapons within a few months following its decision to dissolve.