PKK Withdraws Forces from Turkiye: A Historic Shift Towards Peace After 40 Years of Conflict

PKK Withdraws Forces from Turkiye in Historic Peace Move

Published On 26 Oct 2025

In a groundbreaking development, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has announced the withdrawal of all its forces from Turkiye to northern Iraq, marking a significant step in the ongoing peace process aimed at ending a four-decade-long conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

During a ceremony held in the Qandil region of northern Iraq, a PKK spokesperson confirmed, “We are implementing the withdrawal of all our forces within Turkey.” This statement was made public on Sunday, with journalists from the AFP agency present to witness the historic moment. A photograph released by the PKK showed 25 fighters, including eight women, who have already made the journey from Turkiye.

The PKK’s decision to withdraw follows its formal renouncement of armed struggle in May, a pivotal moment that signaled the group’s transition from insurgency to democratic politics. This shift aims to address the rights of the Kurdish minority and bring an end to one of the region’s longest-standing conflicts.

The group has called on Turkiye to take necessary legal and political steps to facilitate this peace process, which began a year ago when Ankara extended an olive branch to its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan. “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 PKK stated.

In July, the PKK held a symbolic ceremony in the mountains of northern Iraq, where they destroyed a first batch of weapons. This act was hailed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as “an irreversible turning point.” He remarked, “Today is a new day; a new page has opened in history. Today, the doors of a great, powerful Turkiye have been flung wide open.”

The implications of this peace process extend beyond Turkiye, potentially influencing regional dynamics, particularly in neighboring Syria, where the United States has allied with Syrian Kurdish forces that Ankara considers an offshoot of the PKK.

As the PKK embarks on this new chapter, the world watches closely, hopeful that this historic move will pave the way for lasting peace and stability in the region.