Ankara confirms key progress in PKK disarmament roadmap

Details of the updated roadmap for the disarmament of the PKK terrorist organization, drawn up within the framework of the “Terror-Free Türkiye” initiative, are gradually coming to light.

The PKK has announced that it has fully withdrawn its militants from Türkiye, marking the completion of the first phase of its dissolution plan. According to security sources, four caves were identified in Iraq’s Zap region following the announcement of the group’s withdrawal. Security units inspected the area and confirmed that the militants had vacated it. All weapons, ammunition, and logistical materials abandoned inside the caves were subsequently destroyed, Daily Sabah reports.

Long considered a major PKK stronghold, Zap’s clearance is viewed as a significant step toward the group’s complete disarmament. In the nearby Metina region, two additional caves remain under PKK control, with the withdrawal expected to be finalized in the coming weeks. Once this occurs, the entire Operation Claw-Lock zone—where fighting has historically been the most intense—will be fully cleared of the organization. Launched in 2022, Operation Claw-Lock aimed to eliminate the PKK’s entrenched presence in northern Iraq and has largely achieved this objective.

The next phase of the roadmap involves the evacuation of the Gara and Hakurk regions, followed by the formal handover of weapons. Both areas have been the focus of earlier Turkish counterterrorism campaigns.

PKK militants positioned along the Sinjar–Makhmour corridor—an area providing logistical support to the group’s Syrian branch—are also expected to surrender their weapons.

Security sources describe the Qandil Mountains, where senior PKK leaders remain in hiding, as comparatively less problematic. The future status of these high-ranking cadres will be defined under forthcoming legislation in Türkiye. They will not be permitted to remain in Iraq, Syria, or Türkiye. Among the options reportedly under consideration is relocating the organization’s leaders to Scandinavian countries.

Government officials state that the PKK’s disarmament process is nearing completion, though certain complications persist in Syria. Türkiye has made progress in discussions with US officials regarding the organizational structure of the PKK’s Syrian wing. While the US Central Command (CENTCOM) had initially resisted adjustments, this resistance is reportedly weakening. US military support has long been critical to the YPG, the PKK’s Syrian affiliate, which established a self-proclaimed autonomous zone in northeastern Syria during the civil war. Although a strategic ally of Türkiye, the United States has justified its cooperation with the YPG as part of its joint campaign against Daesh in Syria.

Meanwhile, positive developments are expected soon concerning the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella coalition composed of the YPG and multiple Syrian Arab tribes. The YPG remains its dominant component. Around 70% of the SDF consists of Arab tribal groups, with which Türkiye maintains direct contact.

In territories vacated by PKK militants, authorities have compiled inventories of abandoned weapons and ammunition. Officials report that no heavy weaponry has been discovered, and all recovered materials are being catalogued and destroyed.

Within the PKK itself, approximately 30% of members are still resisting disarmament. Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has detailed information on roughly 85% of the group’s personnel. This database, assembled in coordination with Iraqi authorities, distinguishes individuals involved in criminal activities from those who are not.

Officials note that the majority of members were not directly involved in crimes—a development they attribute to Türkiye’s counterterrorism gains over the last eight to ten years. With the PKK’s operational presence largely dismantled both inside Türkiye and across its borders, the organization’s capacity to carry out attacks has been significantly reduced.

By Vafa Guliyeva