How the Kurdistan Workers' Party transformed regional unrest into a sustained armed conflict

Wars & Conflicts · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Following decades of agricultural and social shifts in southeastern Turkey, a distinct Kurdish nationalist movement emerged in the 1980s. Led by the Kurdistan Workers' Party, this campaign evolved into the largest civil war in the Middle East, fundamentally altering the security landscape and political trajectory of the Turkish state.

The roots of the modern conflict are often traced to the social and economic transformations that began in Turkey during the 1950s. While early outbreaks of violence in the 1970s were frequently associated with the revolutionary left, the nature of the unrest shifted after 1980. It took on a specifically Kurdish character, with various groups emerging to demand everything from cultural expression to full independence. Central to this shift was the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a leftist organization founded in 1978 and led by Abdullah Öcalan.

The PKK launched its formal armed campaign against the Turkish state in 1984, operating from bases in Iraq. By 1993, the conflict had escalated significantly, with the Turkish government committing approximately 200,000 security forces to the region. The scale of the violence was immense; estimates suggest that between 1982 and 1995, roughly 15,000 people were killed, the vast majority being Kurdish civilians. The conflict also led to the destruction of dozens of villages and the displacement of many inhabitants, while Turkish forces conducted multiple large-scale military operations into Iraq to target PKK bases.

The geopolitical landscape further complicated the struggle, particularly after the 1990–91 Persian Gulf War. The creation of safe havens in Iraqi Kurdistan, protected by U.S. and British forces, provided the PKK with strategic operational bases. While Turkish governments attempted to address the situation through limited cultural concessions and autonomy proposals in the early 1990s, these efforts were often overshadowed by the state's primary focus on military suppression. The ongoing war remained a defining feature of Turkish politics throughout the decade, influencing government coalitions and contributing to the broader social and political instability of the era.

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