PKK announces end of unilateral ceasefire

 
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has announced that it's unilateral ceasefire with Turkey will expire tonight.

The PKK had initially agreed to a ceasefire until June, when Turkey's General Elctions will be held. But in a statement issued to the Firat News Agency the guerrilla organisation said that it's units would now move to a position of defence and retaliation, however they would not carry out offensive military actions. It also stated that it would attack Turkish military units which it believed were preparing to carry out an attack.

The ceasefire, which was declared in August, was formulated to give Turkey's ruling AKP party space to address Kurdish grievances in relation to autonomy and language. Today the PKK said that it had attempted to build peaceful dialogue with the Turkish state but that they had not responded. It also claimed that the Turkish military had killed 40 PKK fighters during the period of the ceasefire.

The group appealed to the international community to put pressure on the Turkish government to enter into dialogue.