The Kurdistan Workers' Party Announces Withdrawal of Its Forces from Turkey

SadaNews - The Kurdistan Workers' Party announced today, Sunday, the withdrawal of all its forces from Turkish territory to northern Iraq, in a move that it described as aimed at avoiding military clashes and creating a suitable climate for the peace process.

The announcement came through the Furat News Agency, close to the party, which quoted an official statement saying, "We have started the step of withdrawing our forces from Turkey in anticipation of the possibility of clashes, and to eliminate the causes of any undesirable events."

Sabri Ok, a member of the executive council of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, explained that a group of the party's fighters has already withdrawn from within the Turkish border territory to areas inside the Kurdistan region of Iraq, specifically to the Qandil mountains, which have been the party's main stronghold for decades.

Ok added that the withdrawal process will continue gradually, noting that this is linked to Ankara's commitment to the peace process, stressing that the step comes "based on the decisions issued by the party's 12th conference and with the approval of leader Abdullah Ocalan."

The party also urged the Turkish authorities to take the necessary legal measures to protect the peace process and pave the way for fighters to shift to democratic political action.

The statement said, "The amnesty law for the Kurdistan Workers' Party must be adopted as a basis, and to participate in democratic politics, laws related to essential freedoms and democratic integration should be issued immediately."

The statement indicated that the party is ready to close the page on armed conflict if the Turkish government responds to peace initiatives, affirming that "the next phase should be a political phase, not a military one."

For his part, the spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party in Turkey, Omar Celik, stated in a post on the X platform that the withdrawal of "terrorist elements" from Turkish territory and the announcement of new steps towards disarmament represent "significant progress aligned with the main goal of building a Turkey free from terrorism."

Celik warned against attempts at provocation and political and intelligence sabotage by "the forces behind the chaotic policies in neighboring regions," emphasizing that the Turkish government is steadily implementing the roadmap despite those attempts.

He added, "The utmost attention must be paid to protecting the process from any type of provocations... We will not allow false accusations or extreme approaches to poison the roadmap with their side effects."

This step is the most significant in years in the relationship between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is classified as a "terrorist organization" in Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.

Observers believe that the withdrawal of the party's fighters from Turkish territory may mark the beginning of a new phase of easing tensions, especially after a period of escalation and mutual military operations in southeastern Turkey.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party has been in an armed rebellion against the Turkish state since 1984, resulting in the deaths of more than 40,000 people, most of whom are Kurds.

Despite previous attempts to launch a peace process - most notably between 2013 and 2015 - the negotiations collapsed following the resumption of fighting.