PKK takes small step but terror-free Türkiye still in progress

Daily Sabah · Yusuf Ziya Durmuş · 2026-10-15 10:13 UTC

The key initiative for the dissolution of the terrorist group PKK marked another solid step with the evacuation of several camps harboring members in Iraq,...

The PKK terrorist group left four camps in northern Iraq’s Metina, Turkish security sources announced Monday.

It is among the few solid indicators of progress in the terror-free Türkiye initiative sponsored by the government. It is a significant gain in the secretive and highly sensitive process, although the PKK touted it as a bargain with Türkiye. The government rejects any deal in what is portrayed as a unilateral initiative. Turkish sources confirmed the veracity of the PKK's "withdrawal," but experts argue that it is still the beginning of the end.

Sibel Düz, senior researcher at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), told Daily Sabah that the evacuation of camps in Hebat, Yajk, Sabri and Sason in Metina was a substantial development. “Nevertheless, this should not be construed as straightforward disarmament. Retreating from one position does not mean that the structural hierarchy of (the PKK) is completely dissolved,” said Düz.

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