The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced on Sunday, October 25, that it is pulling all its forces back to northern Iraq in response to a call from its imprisoned founder Abdullah Öcalan to dissolve the party’s structures, lay down arms, and move into political work.

“The party said in a statement carried by the PKK-aligned Firat News Agency (ANF) that the wars and conflicts raging across the Middle East have posed a serious threat to the future of the Kurds and Turkey, prompting the launch of a new course.”

The PKK has branches or affiliated structures in Syria, Iraq, and Iran, though it does not publicly acknowledge all links. In Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) deny organizational subordination to the PKK, despite repeated Turkish accusations to the contrary.

According to the statement, the new course drew on remarks by Turkey’s president, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, and Abdullah Öcalan under the rubric “Peace and Democratic Society,” first invoked on February 27, 2025, at what it called a highly sensitive turning point.

The party said Kurdish actors had taken “historic steps” over the past eight months. Immediately after Öcalan’s March 1 appeal, a ceasefire was announced to create a safe, stable environment for dialogue based on the “peace and democratic society” initiative.

At its 12th congress, the PKK decided to end its organizational existence and its armed-struggle strategy. Two months later, on July 11, and at Öcalan’s urging, a 30-member “Peace and Democratic Society Group” led by Bese Hozat, co-chair of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) Executive Council, burned their weapons in a symbolic ceremony to demonstrate commitment to ending the armed conflict.

Based on the congress decisions and by Öcalan’s order, the party began withdrawing its forces from Turkey toward the so-called “Media Defense Areas” in northern Iraq to avoid “unwanted incidents,” the statement said.

The PKK argued that the “historic steps” taken by the Kurdish side under Öcalan’s leadership have had a profound impact on Turkey’s political and social climate, revealing “a new spirit toward peace and democracy.” It added that a “courageous Kurdish stance” in favor of peace, democracy, and freedom had won wide appreciation inside and outside Turkey.

The statement urged the Turkish government to commit to the peace path, adopt a special transitional law for the PKK to enable participation in democratic political life, and immediately pass legislation related to freedom and democratic integration.

It also called on youth and women to engage in organized struggle for a free, democratic life, and to work within a broad campaign to ensure the success of the peace and democratic society process.

Dissolution and disarmament

In February, Abdullah Öcalan called for a general party congress to declare dissolution, lay down arms, and transition to democratic work within the legal framework, arguing that regional developments made the step necessary to strengthen Turkish–Kurdish solidarity.

Turkey has repeatedly called for ending the PKK’s activities in both Iraq and Syria, while Ankara continued talks with the Iraqi government that culminated in Baghdad listing the PKK as a terrorist organization.

The PKK’s move to withdraw its forces from Turkey to northern Iraq marks a significant development in the decades-long conflict and could trigger major shifts in the region’s political and military dynamics.