Ankara hails the move as a “strategic step,” but the Kurdish group demands "democratic integration" as fighters cross into Iraqi strongholds.
Armed PKK fighters arrive before a disarming ceremony in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq on July 11, 2025 [File: Kurdistan Workers' Party Media Office/Handout via Reuters]
QANDIL MOUNTAINS, IRAQ – In a dramatic ceremony deep within its mountain stronghold, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced on Sunday that it is withdrawing all its fighters from Turkiye, a move that effectively ends a four-decade insurgency that has cost tens of thousands of lives.
The withdrawal to northern Iraq is the culminating step in a months-long disarmament and peace process with the Turkish government.
"We are implementing the withdrawal of all our forces within Turkiye," a PKK statement read out in the Qandil area, a rugged territory that has long served as the group's main headquarters. An AFP journalist present at the ceremony confirmed the announcement.
The moment was made tangible by the presentation of 25 fighters—among them eight women—who had just completed the journey from inside Turkiye, representing the first wave of the full-scale retreat.
Ankara Welcomes "Historic Step"
The Turkish government, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), immediately and warmly received the news.
AKP spokesman Ömer Çelik posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the PKK’s announcement falls squarely within the framework of the "Terrorism-Free Turkiye process."
Çelik said the government considered the announcement and its fulfillment a "strategic and historic step" toward ending one of the region's longest and most painful conflicts, which has killed an estimated 50,000 people since it began.
From Armed Struggle to Political Demands
This withdrawal is the most significant milestone in a peace process that has been rapidly gaining momentum. A year ago, Ankara offered an "unexpected olive branch" to the PKK's jailed founder, Abdullah Ocalan. This was followed in May by the PKK's formal renunciation of its 40-year armed struggle.
In July, the group held a symbolic ceremony in the Iraqi mountains, destroying a first batch of its weapons, a moment President Erdogan hailed at the time as "an irreversible turning point."
"Today is a new day; a new page has opened in history," Erdogan said in July. "Today, the doors of a great, powerful Turkiye have been flung wide open."
However, the PKK's withdrawal is not an unconditional surrender. In its Sunday statement, the group made it clear that the onus is now on Ankara to complete its side of the bargain.
The PKK urged Turkiye to take the necessary steps to transition from conflict to peace, specifically demanding a path to legitimate political participation for the country's large Kurdish minority.
"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 statement said.
Geopolitical Ripple Effects in Syria
The formal end of Turkiye's conflict with the PKK is expected to have profound consequences across the region, most notably in neighboring Syria.
Ankara has long deemed the U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish forces (YPG/SDF) as a direct offshoot of the PKK, labeling them a terrorist organization. This has been the primary source of extreme friction between Turkiye and the United States, which relies on the YPG/SDF as its main partner in the fight against ISIS.
With the PKK now formally disarmed and transitioning to a political entity, Ankara's primary justification for its military presence in northern Syria is fundamentally challenged. This move will force a major strategic re-evaluation in Washington, Ankara, and Damascus, potentially reshaping the entire geopolitical map of the conflict.