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E-mail Xinhua, March 2, 2025
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Saturday to resume military operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) if its promises are not fulfilled.
"We will continue our ongoing operations, and if necessary, we will leave no stone unturned and no head on top of a shoulder until we eliminate the last terrorist," Erdogan stated.
Erdogan made these remarks at a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner at the presidency's Dolmabahce office in Istanbul.
Earlier in the morning, the PKK declared a ceasefire with Türkiye, following the call of its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan for disarmament and dissolution.
The group also announced readiness to convene its congress but emphasized that its success requires Ocalan to "personally lead it," calling for his release from prison.
This move comes as part of an initiative launched by the government to end the PKK's 40-year-long insurgency against the Turkish state, which has claimed over 40,000 lives.
According to Erdogan, "except for some marginal groups," the terror-free Türkiye initiative has been supported by the vast majority of the nation and political circles.
The PKK was founded in 1978 by Ocalan, who has been held in near-total isolation on Imrali island in the Marmara Sea off Istanbul since 1999. The PKK is designated as a terrorist group by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union.
