PKK shifts strategy from armed conflict to political struggle

Murat Karayilan, a senior figure in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), announced that the organization is shifting its strategy from armed conflict to political, legal, and social struggle. Karayilan stated that the PKK has abandoned armed conflict as its primary method and will instead focus on democratic politics and grassroots social organization within the framework of the “Peace and Democratic Society Process” in Türkiye.

In a detailed accounting of the conflict's history, Karayilan reported that the organization recorded 25,922 deaths between 1976 and 2026, suggesting the actual total may be closer to 27,000 due to unrecorded casualties. He argued that the armed struggle has fulfilled its historical role and that political methods should now serve as the principal vehicle for pursuing Kurdish demands.