In 1984, a small raid in Şemdinli launched a decades-long conflict in Turkey
The first shots of a conflict that would transform modern Turkey were fired when a small group of militants launched simultaneous attacks on remote security outposts in the country's southeast.
On August 15, 1984, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) transitioned from a political movement to an armed insurgency by attacking police and gendarmerie bases in Eruh and Şemdinli. Led by Mahsum Korkmaz, these raids were intended to announce the group’s presence and challenge the Turkish state's authority in the region.
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