The Kurdistan Workers Party (abbreviated as PKK) is a political and militant organization founded in 1978 in Turkey. It is an ethno-nationalist group that seeks to establish an independent state called Kurdistan in the Middle East, specifically in the Kurdish-inhabited regions of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The PKK advocates for the rights, autonomy, and self-determination of the Kurdish people.
The organization initially emerged as a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary group with the aim of achieving an independent socialist Kurdish state, but it has evolved over the years. The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by several countries, including Turkey, the European Union, and the United States. Their tactics have involved guerrilla warfare, bombings, and attacks on military and civilian targets.
The Kurdistan Workers Party is led by a five-member leadership council known as the Executive Committee, with Abdullah Öcalan being its founder and longtime leader. The group has faced numerous crackdowns and military offensives by the Turkish government over the years, resulting in a complex and protracted armed conflict between the two sides.
The conflict has had severe consequences, including loss of life, displacement of populations, and political instability in the region. Efforts to resolve the conflict through negotiations have taken place intermittently, but a permanent solution has yet to be achieved. The PKK remains a highly influential and controversial organization linked to the Kurdish struggle for self-determination.
