In this episode of Unfinished Stories, Rudaw’s Hevidar Ahmed follows the disarmament of a first group of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters in Sulaimani province. The historic event took place on July 11.
He speaks with the families of PKK fighters who watched the disarmament ceremony with the hopes of seeing their sons and daughters among the group that burned their weapons at Jasana Cave in front of hundreds of people, including journalists from Turkey’s state media and local authorities in Sulaimani. Rudaw was not allowed to attend the event.
Several PKK fighters, who are based on Mount Gara in Duhok province, spoke to Rudaw. Some were hopeful about a peace deal with Ankara, but others said they prefer to stay in the mountains.
“If the leadership tells us to lay them down, we'll lay them down.
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If the conditions and demands are accepted, we'll lay them down,” said a PKK fighter.
Rudaw also visited the house of Keziban Sekmen, a PKK fighter who burned her weapon on July 11. Her mother said they thought she was dead until they saw her on TV.
“She left us 13 years ago. At that time I didn't know where she was or where she went or what happened to her. She was a child. After a few years we learned she had joined the PKK. When we saw the guerrillas come and lay down their weapons, I was very upset when I saw them lay down their weapons, because that weapon belongs to everyone. I did not know that my daughter was alive until I saw her lay down her weapon on TV. We thought she was not alive,” Zahide Sekmen said.