Erdogan hails symbolic destruction of arms as a step toward 'terror-free Turkey,' as top PKK fighter says jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan must be set free for rapprochement to work

A ceremony in northern Iraq on Friday saw a handful of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants lay down their weapons, a small but hugely symbolic gesture that marks the beginning of an end to a conflict with the Turkish state that’s lasted nearly five decades and cost tens of thousands of lives.

The group of 30 members burned their weapons in a cauldron in Iraq. The group has been fighting with Turkey for 40 years.