PKK announces withdrawal of its fighters from Turkey

WORLD, Oct. 26 (YPA) – The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has said it is withdrawing all its forces from Turkiye to northern Iraq as part of a peace process with Turkiye, bringing an end to a months-long disarming process following a four-decade armed conflict that killed tens of thousands of people.

“We are implementing the withdrawal of all our forces within Turkiye,” the Kurdish PKK said in a statement read out on Sunday in the Qandil area of northern Iraq, according to the AFP news agency .

The withdrawal comes in response to a call by the party’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, who has been incarcerated on İmralı Island.

In May, the PKK announced its dissolution in response to a call by its imprisoned founder Abdullah Öcalan.

On July 11, 2025, Abdullah Öcalan announced the formation of the “Peace and Democratic Society Group,” which was reportedly led by Bese Hozat and comprised 30 members.

The group organized symbolic ceremonies to burn weapons, signaling their commitment to a new phase of peaceful political engagement.

@E.Y.M