Militant fighters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) began handing over their weapons near the northern Iraqi city of Sulaimaniya on Friday (July 11), marking a symbolic but significant step in the decades-long conflict between Turkey and the outlawed group, Reuters reports.
Fighters were seen placing their weapons in a giant cauldron which was then set alight.
The whole process is expected to take around two to five months, Turkish broadcaster NTV said, adding that militants who hand in weapons will stay in Iraq and halt any PKK activities.
Since the PKK launched its insurgency against Turkey in 1984 - originally with the aim of creating an independent Kurdish state - the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, imposed a huge economic burden and fuelled social tensions.
Ankara says skirmishes between Turkish soldiers and PKK militants in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq have continued since the group's decision to disband, adding that Turkey was still raiding PKK storage areas and bases in the region.
