PKK leaves four northern Iraq camps as disbandment process advances, Turkish sources say

Baghdad, Iraq. Turkish security sources said on Monday that militants belonging to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) had vacated four camps in northern Iraq, marking an initial step towards the group’s planned dissolution.

Withdrawals and security changes

According to the sources, the departures began last Thursday at the Hebat, Yajk, Sabri and Sason camps, located in Baze district within Iraq’s Metina region. They described the withdrawals as evidence of progress in the peace process.

Neither Iraq nor the PKK immediately commented on the departures.

Last month, Turkey agreed to transfer a military camp used by its troops in northern Iraq gradually to the government in Baghdad. The agreement formed part of a reassessment of security threats during the peace process.

Legal framework for reintegration

In August, the Turkish parliament approved legislation defining the framework for dissolving the PKK. The law is part of a peace initiative intended to bring an end to a conflict lasting decades, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and devastated Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast.

Under the legislation, many former militants who have not committed specified crimes receive protections. It also allows sentences to be suspended for some people convicted of belonging to the PKK, opening a route towards reintegration into society.

The security sources said that, after the PKK ended all its activities, its members would be eligible for social integration programmes covering education, economic matters and other fields under the dissolution framework.

Conflict and stalled negotiations

The peace process involving Turkey and the PKK started in late 2024. Turkey has the second-largest military in NATO. Progress almost halted earlier this year because of the Iran war and fears of instability across the region.

Turkey, the United States and the European Union classify the PKK as a terrorist organisation. The group began its insurgency in 1984, initially pursuing an independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey. It subsequently shifted its aims towards autonomy and political rights for Kurds.