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PKK militants announce withdrawal from Turkey as part of disarmament process

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 26 October 2025 2:17 PM

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group has officially announced its decision to withdraw all its forces from Turkey to northern Iraq as part of a disarmament process coordinated with Ankara.

The announcement was made during an event in Iraq's northern Qandil Mountains on Sunday, where a statement was read by PKK spokesperson Zagros Hiwa, emphasizing the group's commitment to establishing a "free, democratic, and brotherly life" by withdrawing all forces from Turkey.

The PKK further urged the Turkish government to facilitate their transition into "democratic politics" by enacting integration laws, reiterating their commitment to the disarmament and integration process.

As the senior official read the statement during the event, about two dozen PKK fighters stood in formation, with a prominent image of jailed PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan in the background.

"We are on the path to executing leader Ocalan's peace project," Hiwa said.

"Therefore, the other side, Turkey, must carry out political changes and prepare a suitable environment for the project to be implemented," he added.

Omer Celik, spokesperson for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), stated that the PKK's withdrawal decision is a result of what he described as the goal of creating a "terror-free Turkey."

Celik also noted that this move would contribute to establishing a "positive framework" by a parliamentary commission for the legal aspects of the process.

On May 12, the PKK, founded in the late 1970s by Abdullah Ocalan, adopted a decision to disarm and disband.

The historic decision came after Ocalan called on his Kurdish group to lay down arms and disband to end four decades of conflict, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Erdogan hailed the move as an "important decision for maintaining peace and fraternity" in the country.

The PKK decision was also welcomed by top officials in Syria and Iraq, as well as the European Union and the United Nations.

In July, PKK fighters burned their weapons at a ceremony in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous Kurdistan region as a gesture of goodwill.

The ceremony was held at the Jasana Cave, located in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan. The area, west of the northeastern city of Sulaymaniyah, has served as a shelter for most PKK fighters over the past decade.