Kurdish rebel group PKK says it is withdrawing its fighters from Turkey [View all]

Source: NBC News/AP

Oct. 26, 2025, 4:24 AM EDT


A militant Kurdish group announced on Sunday that it is withdrawing its fighters from Turkey to Iraq as part of a peace effort with Turkey.

The statement issued in northern Iraq by the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, came months after a group of its fighters began laying down their weapons in a symbolic ceremony, as part of the peace process. The group has been waging a decades-long insurgency in Turkey that has led to tens of thousands of deaths since the 1980s.

"To prevent any risk of clashes or provocations, we are currently withdrawing all our forces within Turkey to the Medya Defense Area with Abdullah Ocalan's approval," read the statement from Sabri Ok, referring to the group's imprisoned leader. The Medya Defense Area is a term often used by the PKK to describe areas in northern Iraq.

The statement also called for legal and political concessions.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-east/kurdish-rebel-group-pkk-says-withdrawing-fighters-turkey-rcna239819