PKK withdraws from northern Iraq in boost to Türkiye peace talks

The Kurdish militant group PKK announced on November 17 that its forces had withdrawn from a strategic border area in northern Iraq, in a move aimed at bolstering ongoing peace efforts with Türkiye.

“As of the evening of November 16, our forces… in the Zap region have been withdrawn,” the group stated, Al Arabiya reports.

It described the withdrawal as a “significant practical contribution” to ongoing efforts to reset ties with Ankara.

Ankara initiated indirect talks with the PKK late last year, following guidance from its imprisoned founder, Abdullah Öcalan, who in February urged militants to lay down their arms and pursue democratic means to advance the Kurdish cause.

After formally announcing their dissolution in May, the group began dismantling their weapons in July and, by late October, started withdrawing all forces from Turkish territory into northern Iraq.

Türkiye has established a cross-party parliamentary commission tasked with laying the groundwork for the peace process and developing a legal framework for the political integration of the PKK and its fighters.

The PKK has historically maintained bases in the Zap region of northern Iraq, which was targeted by Turkish forces in a ground operation in 2008. Despite the operational challenges posed by the mountainous terrain, the Turkish military has consistently concentrated its operations in Zap, a site of recurring intense clashes over the years.

Until recently, the PKK retained a strong presence in Zap, which holds symbolic significance as the location of its original headquarters before relocating further east to the Qandil Mountains.

By Vafa Guliyeva