PKK Militants Withdraw From Four Camps in Northern Iraq as Peace Process Advances

Militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have withdrawn from four camps in northern Iraq as part of an intended disbandment process, Turkish security sources said on 12 October 2026.

The camps - Hebat, Yajk, Sabri and Sason - are located in the Baze district of the Metina region, close to the border with Turkey. The move is seen as the first concrete step in the dissolution of the PKK, which declared an end to its armed struggle after its jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, called on the group to disarm and disband in February 2025.

Turkey's parliament passed legislation in August 2026 establishing a legal framework for the group's disbandment, offering protections to former militants who have not committed specific crimes and allowing the suspension of sentences for some convicted of PKK membership.

Under the framework, the measures can only take effect once Turkey's National Security Council confirms that the PKK has fully dissolved and surrendered its weapons - a process that has not yet been completed.

The decades-long conflict between the Turkish state and the PKK has killed more than 40,000 people. Kurdish politicians have welcomed the progress but criticised the process for moving slowly and for failing to deliver greater cultural, political and social rights for Turkey's Kurdish minority.

(Source: Reuters)