Jailed Kurdish militant leader Ocalan calls for end to conflict with Turkey

Turkey’s jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to lay down arms on Thursday, a move that could end its 40-year conflict with Ankara and have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region.

If the PKK’s leadership heeds its founder’s appeal, which is not guaranteed, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would gain a historic opportunity to pacify and develop southern Turkey, where violence has killed thousands of people and devastated the regional economy.