Turkey is embarking on a hazardous path to ensure the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group implements its decision to disband after 40 years of conflict, facing obstacles that need to be overcome in neighbouring Iraq and Syria.

A top official says Turkey is closely monitoring any attempts to undermine its peace initiative with the PKK following the militant Kurdish group’s announcement that it is ending its decades-long armed conflict with the Turkish state.

For Turkey, peace with the PKK now would further reduce a weakened Iran’s ability to project power westward. Some groups suspected of being affiliated with the PKK, such as the Sinjar Resistance Units in northern Iraq, have been indirectly supported by Iran.