ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) on Monday claimed responsibility for shooting down a drone of the Bayraktar Akinci type in Sulaimani's Dukan district that they said belonged to Turkey, a claim Ankara has dismissed.

“At 7:20 pm on March 16, 2025, an unmanned drone of the Bayraktar Akinci type, which was flying high overhead Qandil, that the Turkish state thought could not be shot down, was shot down,” said the People’s Defense Forces (HPG) – the PKK’s military wing – in a statement.

Turkey’s defense ministry earlier on Monday told The New Region that they were unaware of the incident and that the drone did not belong to them.

In a historic initiative to end four decades of armed struggle against Turkey, Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the PKK late last month called on his group to lay down arms and be dissolved

Soon after the call, the PKK declared a ceasefire on March 1 with Turkey to “pave the way” for the realization of Ocalan’s request. 

“None of our forces will take armed action unless there is an attack on them,” the PKK said.

The Turkish defense ministry, however, said they would not agree to a ceasefire, as it was not Ocalan’s call.

"No attempt should be made to create confusion by bringing up issues such as a ceasefire, which are not included in the text [Ocalan’s call]. As our Minister has stated, the sabotaging and prolonging of the process will not be allowed; a cautious and rational approach will be adopted,” the Turkish defense ministry source said. 

The HPG stated on Monday that despite the “full implementation” of the ceasefire by their forces, “the intelligence activities of the Turkish army forces towards our areas have intensified, airstrikes and bombardments have continued.”

They went on to add that since the ceasefire, the Turkish army has carried out eight attacks with "prohibited weapons, 93 airstrikes, and 5,052 attacks with heavy weapons, artillery, and mortars" against their forces.

The PKK is an armed group that has fought for increased Kurdish rights in Turkey for decades. Designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara, the group uses mountainous areas of the Kurdistan Region as shelter and often engages in direct armed conflict with Turkey.

Turkish officials have repeatedly said that the PKK and its affiliated groups must disarm “unconditionally.” 

Top PKK Commander Murat Karayilan earlier in February expressed concern over the possibility of laying down arms by the group’s fighters in an interview with the PKK-affiliated Sterk TV.

Karayilan said: “These are ideologic fighters, as in they are believers,” calling Ocalan by his nickname Apo, Kurdish for uncle, Karayilan added, “unless the person who created those ideologies, as in leader Apo himself… meets the fighters, a recorded video call alone does not work.”

Millions across Turkey – Turks and Kurds, are now once again looking ahead with renewed hope that a perpetual solution will be found to permanently resolve the conflict that has spanned decades and claimed tens of thousands of lives.