ANKARA, Turkey, May 12, (AP): The PKK Kurdish militant group announced Monday that it will disband and disarm as part of a new peace initiative with Turkey, ending four decades of armed conflict. The decision by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which promises to put an end to one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East and could have significant impact in Turkey, Syria and Iraq, was announced by the Firat News Agency, a media outlet close to the group.

It comes days after the PKK convened a party congress in northern Iraq. In February, PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island near Istanbul since 1999, urged his group to convene a congress and formally decide to disband. The call by Ocalan, 76, who continues to wields significant influence in the Kurdish movement despite his 25-year imprisonment, marked a pivotal step toward ending the decadeslong conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s.

Building on the momentum, the PKK announced a unilateral ceasefire on March 1, but attached conditions, including the creation of a legal framework for peace negotiations. The conflict between Turkey and the PKK has spilled over into northern Iraq and northern Syria, with Turkey carrying out numerous incursions into the neighboring regions.

The PKK is listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies. In a statement carried by Firat news, the PKK announced it decision to end its "organizational structure,” suggesting that its armed struggle has successfully challenged policies that sought to suppress Kurdish rights. The congress assessed that the PKK’s struggle had "brought the Kurdish issue to the point of resolution through democratic politics, thus completing its historical mission,” according to the statement.

"As a result, activities carried out under the name ‘PKK’ were formally terminated,” the statement said. Turkey’s governing party welcomed the announcement "as a significant step toward the goal of a terror-free Turkey.” "If terrorism is completely eradicated, it will open the door to a new era,” Omer Celik, spokesman for President Recep Erdogan’s party, wrote on the X social media platform. Celik, however, said the decision must apply to all "PKK branches, affiliates and illegal structures.” He did not elaborate but the statement appeared to be in reference to Kurdish fighters in Syria, who have ties to the PKK and have been involved in intense fighting with Turkish-backed forces on the ground there.