Published On 17/11/2025
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Last update: 17:33 (Mecca time)
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party announced on Monday that it had withdrawn its forces from the Zab region bordering Turkey in northern Iraq, indicating that this is a step aimed at supporting the peace process with Ankara.
The party said – in a statement published by the Furat News Agency, which is close to it – that it withdrew its fighters from the strategic Zab region on October 16 to other suitable areas, adding that with this withdrawal there is no longer a risk of conflict in this region.
He continued that this step shows his commitment to the peace process with Türkiye, and constitutes an important practical contribution to the success of this process.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which dissolved itself months ago and began giving up its weapons, also said that withdrawing fighters from the Zab region would contribute to resolving the Kurdish issue and achieving peace and democracy in Turkey, according to the statement.
This development comes after the party announced late last month the withdrawal of all its forces from Turkish territory to northern Iraq, in a move it described as aiming to avoid military clashes and create a suitable climate for the peace process.
Agence France-Presse quoted a resident of the Al-Zab region as saying that the area is almost devoid of population and includes only fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and Turkish forces, in addition to some sheep herders during the summer.
Earlier this month, Reuters quoted a diplomatic source and another from a Kurdish political party that the Turkish government was working on preparing a new law that would allow thousands of PKK fighters and Kurdish civilians to return to their homes from their hideouts in northern Iraq.
During the past ten years, most PKK fighters have sought refuge in mountainous areas in northern Iraq, where Türkiye has established military bases to confront them for 25 years, and launched many military operations against them.
Within the framework of the peace process that began in 2024, the party’s leadership announced in May last year the dissolution of the organization and the end of armed action.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party fought an armed rebellion that lasted about 4 decades and resulted in the deaths of about 50,000 people.