He helped found the PKK in 1978, and led it into the Kurdish–Turkish conflict in 1984. For most of his leadership, he was based in Syria, which provided sanctuary to the PKK until the late 1990s.

Jan 13, 2025 · Abdullah Öcalan (born April 4, 1948, Ömerli, Turkey) is the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a militant Kurdish nationalist organization, who became widely known as the strongest advocate for Kurdish sovereignty.

Abdullah Öcalan is a founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a militant group that initially aimed for an independent Kurdistan but later adapted its demands to focus on cultural and political rights for the Kurds. [3] He led the PKK and its struggle from bases in Lebanon and Syria until he was expelled from Syria in October 1998 ...

Oct 24, 2024 · Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan, jailed 25 years ago, is again a focus of attention in Turkey after President Tayyip Erdogan's nationalist ally raised the possibility of his release in...

A founding member of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), Abdullah Öcalan was born in a Kurdish Turkish village in 1948. Öcalan is often referred to as Apo (Kurdish for Uncle) in popular Kurdish culture.

3 days ago · The commander in chief of the SDF, Mazloum Abdi, is a former PKK member who worked with Ocalan when the latter resided in Syria. Turkey has carried out three limited military operations against the PKK’s affiliates in Syria: in the al-Bab region in 2016, in the Afrin region in 2018, and in a corridor running between the cities of Tel Abyad ...

1 day ago · Turkey's pro-Kurdish political party said on Tuesday that Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the PKK militant group, will make a "historic call" soon, amid a political effort to end its decades ...

Dec 29, 2024 · The jailed leader of Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, has been quoted as indicating he may be prepared to call for militants to lay down arms, after a key ally...

Dec 31, 2024 · In a message sent back with his visitors, two lawmakers from the pro-Kurd opposition DEM party, Ocalan -- the man who embodies the decades-long Kurdish rebellion against the Turkish...

Oct 10, 2024 · On February 15, 1999, Turkish forces captured Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), in Kenya. Afterward, the Turkish government placed him in Imrali Island Prison with a life sentence.