Fighters from the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) have burned their weapons at a cave entrance as part of a peace process to end its decades-long insurgency in Turkey.
The symbolic ceremony in northern Iraq was a significant step in the disarmament of the PKK which is due to be completed by September.
It comes after PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island near Istanbul since 1999, urged his group in February to convene a congress and formally disband and disarm.
Mr Ocalan renewed his call in a video message broadcast on Wednesday, saying: “I believe in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons.”
Turkish nationalist politician Devlet Bahceli, an ally of the country’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, surprised everyone in October when he suggested in parliament that Mr Ocalan could be granted parole if he renounced violence and disbanded the PKK.
The separatist group launched its insurgency in southeastern Turkey in 1984 with the initial aim of creating an independent Kurdish state.
The four-decade conflict has left more than 40,000 people dead, imposed a huge economic burden and fuelled social tensions.
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Footage from the disarming ceremony showed 30 PKK fighters, half of them women, queuing to place AK-47 assault rifles, bandoliers and other guns into a large grey cauldron. Flames later engulfed the weapons that were pointing into the air.
The fighters, in beige military fatigues, were flanked by four commanders including senior PKK figure Bese Hozat, who read a statement in Turkish declaring the group’s decision to disarm.
“We voluntarily destroy our weapons, in your presence, as a step of goodwill and determination,” she said, before another commander read the same statement in Kurdish.
It is unclear when the PKK will lay down further weapons.
The ceremony was held at the entrance of the Jasana cave in the town of Dukan, more than 30 miles northwest of Sulaymaniyah in the semiautonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq’s north.
It was attended by Turkish and Iraqi intelligence figures, officials of Iraq’s Kurdistan regional government, and senior members of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish DEM party – which has also played a key role in facilitating the PKK’s disarmament decision.
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By Fazel Hawramy, Sky News producer who was at the ceremony
A helicopter flew overhead as 15 male and 15 female fighters in their Kurdish baggy military fatigue descended from Jasana cave and laid down their arms in front of around 300 guests.
One female Kurdish commander described the event as “a step of goodwill and determination”, adding that the group has heeded the call from Abdullah Ocalan to disarm voluntarily.
Then guns – including AK-47s and Russian sniper rifles – were placed on a cauldron and a female fighter set them on fire.
The flames burnt in the gorge and the fighters shouted “long live Abdullah Ocalan” as they retreated into the cave.
Despite being a historic turning point, it was a bittersweet experience for many present in the audience. Former Kurdish parliamentarian Leyla Zana watched the event and sobbed as she chain-smoked a pack of cigarettes.
Ms Zana had called for peace in 1994 between Kurds and Turks from the pulpit of the Turkish parliament when she took her oath as the first Kurdish female MP.
Instead of heeding her call for peace, the state decided to imprison her for 10 years.
“We have done our part, now the Turkish government needs to deliver on its promises,” said a former PKK fighter who attended the ceremony.
Another attendee said he was positive about the process, adding the ceremony was a testament to the progress made.
The peace process in Turkey has coincided with monumental changes in the wider Middle East, where Turkey has become an increasingly assertive player, particularly in neighbouring Syria where there is increasing pressure on Kurdish groups there to disarm.
Turkey’s military has carried out regular strikes on PKK bases in northern Iraq as part of its efforts to end the insurgency.
However, it’s the new initiative that could pave the way for peace.
A senior Turkish official said the disarming ceremony marked an “irreversible turning point” in the peace process, while another government source said the next steps would include the legal reintegration of PKK members into society in Turkey and efforts to heal communities and promote reconciliation.
The PKK, DEM and Mr Ocalan have all called on President Erdogan’s government to address Kurdish demands for more rights in regions where Kurds form a majority, particularly Turkey’s southeast where the insurgency was concentrated.
The Turkish state has historically restricted Kurdish language use and cultural expression, pursuing policies aimed at assimilating Kurds into a singular Turkish identity, according to the Council on Foreign Relations thinktank.
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In a rare online video published on Wednesday, Mr Ocalan – whose large image was shown at the weapons ceremony – urged Turkey’s parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage the broader peace process.
Turkey has taken steps towards forming the commission, while the DEM and Mr Ocalan have said that legal assurances and certain mechanisms were needed to smooth the PKK’s transition into democratic politics.
Omer Celik, spokesman for Mr Erdogan’s AK Party, said the ceremony marked a first step toward full disarmament and a “terror-free Turkey”, adding this must be completed “in a short time”.
President Erdogan has said the disarmament will enable the rebuilding of Turkey’s southeast.
Turkey spent nearly $1.8trn over the past five decades combating terrorism, finance minister Mehmet Simsek has said.
