The Kurdistan Workers' Party has reportedly evacuated dozens of strategic positions along the Turkey-Iraq border as Ankara advances its "terror-free Turkey" initiative, raising hopes for the most significant breakthrough in decades of conflict.

The PKK has reportedly withdrawn from 81 positions along the Turkey-Iraq border, marking a significant step in Turkey's evolving peace process.

PKK Reportedly Vacates 81 Border Positions

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has reportedly withdrawn its fighters from 81 camps and military positions along the Turkey-Iraq border, marking one of the largest reported redeployments since the organization announced its decision to dissolve and disarm.

According to Turkish media and security sources, Turkish military and intelligence units verified the evacuation after conducting inspections and reviewing satellite imagery.

The reported withdrawal forms part of Ankara's broader "terror-free Turkey" initiative, which seeks to conclude decades of armed conflict through the PKK's dissolution, disarmament, and transition toward political engagement.

If fully implemented, the move could represent one of the most significant confidence-building measures in the peace process.

Fighters Relocate Toward Qandil

Security sources cited by Turkish media said PKK fighters abandoned their positions near the Turkish border and repositioned toward the Qandil Mountains near the Iraq-Iran frontier.

The relocation reportedly included dozens of camps, caves, communication centers, logistics facilities, and underground shelters that had served as operational hubs for years.

Turkish authorities consider many of these locations strategically important because they were used during previous clashes between Turkish security forces and PKK fighters.

Strategic Positions Abandoned

Among the reported evacuations were:

• Camps in the Metina Valley.
• Positions in the Avaşin region.
• Underground facilities in the Zap Valley.
• Caves in the Heftanin area.
• Weapons storage sites.
• Logistics depots.
• Communications centers.
• Underground shelters reportedly used by both male and female fighters.

Many of these sites had previously fallen within the scope of Operation Claw-Lock, Turkey's ongoing cross-border military campaign launched in 2022 against PKK positions in northern Iraq.

A New Chapter in the Peace Process?

Turkish officials view the withdrawals as an important step toward reducing the risk of renewed clashes along the border.

By vacating forward positions, the likelihood of accidental confrontations or military escalation could decline, creating greater political space for negotiations.

The latest redeployment reportedly follows an earlier withdrawal from 72 additional border locations, suggesting a gradual implementation of previously announced commitments.

Öcalan's Call Continues to Shape Events

The reported withdrawals trace their origins to imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan's "Call for Peace and Democratic Society" issued on February 27, 2025.

In that message, Öcalan called for:

• The dissolution of the PKK.
• Disarmament.
• A transition toward democratic political activity within a legal framework.

Months later, the PKK announced that it would dissolve its organizational structure and begin a disarmament process.

A symbolic milestone followed on July 11, 2025, when a group of PKK members publicly destroyed their weapons during a ceremony near the Qandil Mountains in Iraq's Kurdistan Region.

The reported withdrawal from border positions appears to represent another phase in implementing that broader strategy.

Ankara Prepares a Peace Framework Law

Alongside developments on the ground, Turkey continues working on legislation intended to support the peace process.

The pro-Kurdish Democracy and Equality of the Peoples Party (DEM Party) has called for broad political consensus around a proposed framework law that would regulate future legal aspects of the peace initiative.

Party spokesperson Ayşe Gül Doğan argued that although the legislation may be temporary in legal form, its impact should produce permanent progress toward peace, democracy, and justice.

She also emphasized the need to define Abdullah Öcalan's legal role in the negotiation process through clear legislative mechanisms.

Challenges Remain

Despite the apparent momentum, important questions remain unresolved.

Among them are:

• The pace of complete disarmament.
• Legal guarantees for former PKK members.
• Political reforms inside Turkey.
• The long-term role of Kurdish political actors.
• Security arrangements along the Iraq-Turkey border.

Any setbacks in these areas could complicate implementation of the broader peace initiative.

Regional Implications

A successful peace process would have consequences extending well beyond Turkey.

Reduced violence along the border could:

• Improve security in Iraq's Kurdistan Region.
• Encourage cross-border investment.
• Facilitate infrastructure development.
• Reduce military tensions between Ankara and Baghdad.
• Improve regional economic integration.

For communities that have lived under decades of conflict, sustained peace could fundamentally reshape both security and development across southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq.

Analysis: The Greatest Opportunity Since the Collapse of Earlier Talks?

The reported evacuation of 81 border positions represents one of the clearest practical signs that the PKK's declared dissolution may be translating into action on the ground.

However, history urges caution.

Previous peace initiatives between Ankara and the PKK ultimately collapsed amid renewed violence and political mistrust.

This time, the process appears more structured, combining military disengagement with legislative initiatives and political dialogue.

Whether these developments culminate in a durable settlement will depend not only on the PKK's continued implementation of its commitments but also on Ankara's willingness to advance legal reforms, political inclusion, and confidence-building measures.

If successful, the current initiative could mark the most significant transformation in Turkish-Kurdish relations in more than forty years.

If it fails, the border region could once again become a flashpoint for renewed conflict.

The Point of No Return? Why the PKK's Reported Withdrawal from Gara Could Transform the Kurdish Peace Process

The reported evacuation of the PKK's stronghold in the Gara Mountains represents what may be the most consequential development in the Kurdish peace process since negotiations resumed. Unlike previous withdrawals from border areas such as Zap and Matina, which occurred under sustained Turkish military pressure, Gara has long been regarded as one of the PKK's safest, most fortified, and strategically indispensable bases. If the reports are accurate, the organization is no longer merely repositioning its forces—it is dismantling a central pillar of its military infrastructure.

For more than three decades, Gara has functioned as the PKK's operational heart inside the Kurdistan Region. It served as the logistical bridge connecting Qandil, the Turkish border, Sinjar, and Syria while hosting command centers, ideological academies, intelligence training facilities, underground tunnel complexes, weapons workshops, and detention facilities. The reported evacuation of Siyan Camp, one of the organization's most heavily fortified underground bases, therefore carries significance far beyond the loss of territory. It represents the abandonment of infrastructure that would require years to rebuild.

This distinction is critical because it changes the nature of the peace process. Previous withdrawals could theoretically have been reversed with limited difficulty. A departure from Gara, however, creates structural rather than tactical disarmament. The PKK would be relinquishing an organizational hub that enabled its long-term military operations. Re-establishing such a complex network under current political and military conditions would be extraordinarily difficult, making any return to large-scale insurgency significantly more costly.

The timing also suggests careful political coordination between Ankara and the PKK. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has pledged to secure parliamentary approval for peace legislation before the legislative recess. Turkish officials have consistently emphasized that any political concessions require verifiable evidence that the PKK has entered an irreversible phase of disarmament. The reported evacuation of Gara may provide precisely that evidence.

Importantly, Ankara appears to have accepted that the issue of Qandil can be addressed later. The future status of senior PKK commanders remains unresolved, with discussions reportedly focusing on whether they will remain in the Kurdistan Region, return to Turkey under legal arrangements, or relocate to third countries. Until such guarantees exist, expecting a complete withdrawal from every PKK position was unrealistic. Gara therefore appears to represent a compromise: enough dismantlement to satisfy Ankara while allowing negotiations over leadership and reintegration to continue.

Verification will become the next major test. Turkish intelligence and military teams are reportedly inspecting evacuated facilities, but uncertainty remains over whether Turkey intends merely to verify compliance or establish permanent military positions inside Gara. Unlike the border zones, Gara lies deeper inside the Kurdistan Region and currently lacks a permanent Turkish military presence. Any attempt to retain forces there after verification could create new political tensions with both Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Recent diplomatic activity reinforces the impression that the process has entered a decisive phase. Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın's visits to Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region, including his notable meeting with PUK President Bafel Talabani, indicate intensive behind-the-scenes negotiations extending well beyond military issues. Relations between Ankara and the PUK had deteriorated sharply in recent years, making the meeting particularly significant. It suggests that logistical arrangements concerning the future location of PKK personnel and commanders may now involve the PUK, potentially facilitating the transition required for the next phase of disarmament.

Yet the process remains incomplete. One notable omission is the absence of PJAK, the PKK's Iranian affiliate, from the current negotiations. PJAK maintains positions in areas further south within the Kurdistan Region, particularly around Penjwin and the Asos Mountains. While Turkey has previously argued that all PKK-affiliated organizations should ultimately disarm, current negotiations appear focused exclusively on the PKK itself. This separation may reflect differing regional priorities, especially as Iran has intensified pressure against PJAK following renewed clashes inside Iranian territory.

Developments in Syria further complicate the strategic picture. The integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the Syrian state has stalled despite ongoing negotiations. Administrative, security, and governance disputes remain unresolved, while Damascus continues rejecting contracts issued by the SDF-led administration. Turkey has consistently linked progress in the domestic peace process with developments concerning the SDF, which Ankara considers the PKK's Syrian branch. If PKK disarmament inside Iraq becomes irreversible while Syrian integration continues to falter, Ankara may increasingly separate the two files, allowing negotiations with the PKK to proceed independently while adopting a different approach toward northeastern Syria.

Ultimately, the reported evacuation of Gara marks a transition from symbolic confidence-building measures to substantive military transformation. Peace processes are judged not by declarations but by irreversible changes on the ground. If the PKK has indeed abandoned one of its most important operational hubs, the organization has crossed a threshold that would make a return to sustained armed conflict far more difficult.

Whether this becomes the decisive turning point will depend on several unresolved questions: the future of Qandil, the legal status of PKK members, Turkey's military posture in evacuated areas, the handling of PJAK, and the outcome of Syria's integration process. Nevertheless, Gara may ultimately be remembered as the moment when the Kurdish peace process shifted from political negotiation to structural disarmament—the point at which the conflict became significantly harder to reverse.

Key Takeaways

• The PKK has reportedly withdrawn from 81 camps and positions along the Turkey-Iraq border.
• Turkish authorities say the evacuation was verified through field inspections and satellite imagery.
• Fighters reportedly relocated toward the Qandil Mountains.
• The withdrawals are part of Turkey's broader "terror-free Turkey" peace initiative following Abdullah Öcalan's call for dissolution and disarmament.
• Turkish lawmakers continue discussing a legal framework intended to support the peace process.

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