Kurdish PKK says withdrawing all forces from Türkiye to north Iraq

The Kurdish militant PKK said Sunday it was withdrawing all its forces from Türkiye to northern Iraq, urging Ankara to take legal steps to protect the peace process. It released a picture showing 25 fighters -- among them eight women -- who had already travelled there from Türkiye.

Türkiye began indirect talks with the PKK late last year in a move backed by President Erdogan, who hailed a PKK move to start destroying weapons in July as a victory for Türkiye. Türkiye has also set up a cross-party parliamentary commission which is working to lay the groundwork for the peace process, which involves preparing the legal framework for the political integration of the PKK and its fighters.