Kurdish militants who have been fighting in Turkey for 40 years have announced a cease-fire, two days after their imprisoned leader said that the group should put down their weapons.
The Firat News Agency, a media outlet affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group, published a statement saying, "We declare a cease-fire effective today to pave the way for the implementation of Leader Apo's Call for Peace and Democratic Society," a reference to Abdullah Ocalan, who has been detained by Turkey since 1999.
The group added that, "None of our forces will take armed action unless attacked."
Kurdish militants have fought for some 40 years for an independent state or autonomy, mainly in the east of Turkey.
On February 27, jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his militant group to lay down its arms, a plea that was welcomed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the start of a new phase in Ankara’s campaign to create a "terror-free" nation.
The Kurdish YPG, which leads U.S.-backed SDF fighters against the Islamic State extremist group in Syria, said Ocalan’s message did not apply to them. Turkey accuses the YPG of being linked to the PKK.
With several of its mayors ousted and replaced by government appointees in recent months, the cease-fire came as pressure mounted on Turkey's main pro-Kurdish political party.
Ocalan established the PKK in 1978 and launched an armed struggle in 1984, often from hiding places inside Turkey and in Syria, where he took refuge before being forced out in 1998.
He fled to Russia, Italy, and Greece before he was arrested in 1999 after being tricked into entering a vehicle by Turkish security forces outside the Greek Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.
An estimated 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict -- some through PKK attacks on military and civilian targets, and others in Turkish military operations against the group and communities where it found support.
In the PKK's statement, the group also called for Ocalan to be released from prison.