From Guerrilla War to Geopolitical Flashpoint: The PKK's Fight and Turkey's Cross-Border Offensives

From Guerrilla War to Geopolitical Flashpoint: The PKK's Fight and Turkey's Cross-Border Offensives

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Kurdish militant and political organization, has been engaged in a decades-long armed struggle against the Turkish state, demanding greater cultural and political rights for Kurds in Turkey. Designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU, the PKK’s conflict with Ankara has claimed over 40,000 lives since 1984. Recent Turkish military operations targeting PKK bases in Iraq and Syria highlight the ongoing tensions, which are rooted in Kurdish demands for autonomy and Turkey’s refusal to negotiate with the group. About the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) - Founded in 1978 by Abdullah Öcalan (captured in 1999 and imprisoned in Turkey), the PKK began as a Marxist-Leninist group seeking an independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey.  - Ideology : Initially focused on Kurdish nationalism and socialism, it later shifted to advocating democratic confederalism —a system of local autonomy within Turkey.  - Structure : Combines armed guerrilla u…