The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) announced on Sunday its decision to withdraw all forces from Turkey to northern Iraq as part of a disarmament initiative.
Having engaged in an insurgency against Turkey for nearly four decades, resulting in over 40,000 fatalities, the PKK resolved in May to cease hostilities following a call from its 76-year-old imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan.
In a statement issued from Iraq, the PKK articulated that the withdrawal is intended to facilitate the establishment of a “free, democratic and brotherly life” and is part of its broader efforts to promote disarmament and integration.
The group urged Ankara to take measures that would support the PKK’s transition into “democratic politics” by enacting laws conducive to integration.
“The legal and political steps required by the process … and the laws of freedom and democratic integration necessary to participate in democratic politics must be put in place without delay,” the statement emphasized.
Senior PKK militant Sabri Ok remarked to journalists at a ceremony, “Significant steps need to be taken, legal arrangements for a process compatible with freedom.” He added, “We want laws that are specific to the process, not just an amnesty.”
The PKK has expressed its intention to advocate for the rights of the Kurdish minority in Turkey through democratic means, as encouraged by Ocalan.
Having been pushed beyond Turkey’s southeastern border in recent years, the PKK has maintained its bases in northern Iraq, which continue to face attacks from the Turkish military, which has established several outposts in the area.
Omer Celik, spokesperson for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party, stated on X that the PKK’s withdrawal represents a tangible result of the government’s objective to create a “terror-free” Turkey.
He noted that this development would contribute to shaping a “positive framework” for the legal structures to be established by a parliamentary commission.
This 48-member commission will also determine the fate of Ocalan, who has been held in solitary confinement on Imrali prison island near Istanbul for approximately 26 years. The PKK has insisted on his release as part of its demands.
The resolution of Turkey’s conflict with the PKK, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU, could have broader implications for the region, particularly in neighboring Syria.
US support for Syrian Kurdish forces that Turkey views as an offshoot of the PKK has led to tensions between the two NATO allies, which may now be alleviated.
