PKK says all its fighters have left Turkey, accusing Ankara of inaction

Withdrawal announcement

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) said on Thursday, 8 October, that it had withdrawn all of its armed forces from Turkey and from other positions in northern Iraq. The group said its forces inside Turkey were withdrawn "a few days ago", and it presented the move as a way to deny Ankara any pretext for slowing the peace process. In a statement carried by the PKK-affiliated news agency ANF, the group said it had pulled back every force that could be considered close to the border. The announcement came two months after the Turkish parliament adopted a law opening the way to the reintegration of PKK fighters. The group put its position this way:

We have withdrawn all our armed forces both inside and outside Turkey that could be considered close to the border.

Metina positions

The PKK also said it had evacuated four tunnels and war positions at Metina, west of Zap in Iraq, at about the same time, so that the Turkish state would not see them as a threat. The Turkish army had struck that area repeatedly, most notably in a large operation in April 2022. The group said its strategy had reached the point where its conditions were met:

The requirements of our strategy to end the armed struggle against Turkey and to enter a democratic political struggle have been fully met.

Criticism of the government

The PKK accuses the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of not pursuing the peace process sincerely or quickly enough. In its view, the AKP government has taken no further measures since parliament passed the law in August. The group repeated its call for the release of its jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, saying there are "no longer obstacles or reasons" to delay his release or to pass laws on freedoms. It warned that without such measures the Turkish state would continue its "century-old policy of denial and annihilation".

The law and the sub-commissions

Parliament adopted the law in early August 2026 by a large majority. The law could lead to the release of many PKK members, on condition that Turkish security authorities confirm the dissolution and disarmament of the PKK and affiliated groups. N-tv describes it as a limited amnesty tied to conditions, and notes that it says nothing about what will happen to Ocalan. Ankara has since set up four sub-commissions to oversee the dissolution of the PKK. One of them, dedicated to handing over weapons, will include Ocalan, although he will not be allowed to leave his prison. Ocalan has been held since 1999 on the island of Imrali, where Notícias ao Minuto reports he is serving a life sentence.

Background to the peace process

The peace process began in 2024, and the PKK announced its dissolution and the end of its armed struggle in May 2025 at its 12th party congress. Spiegel reports that the decision followed a call from Ocalan, while n-tv dates that call to February 2025. Ankara puts the death toll of the conflict, which lasted more than four decades, at around 50,000. The timeline below lists the main stages cited in the articles.