PKK evacuates four tunnels and withdraws from Mount Matina in Kurdistan

The leadership of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) announced in an official statement the complete withdrawal of its forces from Turkish territory and border regions, along with the destruction of several tunnels and military fortifications, while issuing a stern warning to the authorities in Ankara against procrastination or delaying the requirements of the peace process. The party's leadership reviewed the milestones of the peaceful initiative in its statement, pointing out that party leader Abdullah Ocalan responded on October 23, 2024, to statements by Devlet Bahceli by affirming his ability to "transfer the conflict to a political and legal ground," which formed the starting point for the current peace track. The statement added that, based on Ocalan's call, all operations were suspended on February 27, 2025, and the party subsequently announced in May of the same year the end of the armed struggle against Turkey. This was followed in July by the leadership of the "Kurdistan Communities Union" (KCK) and 30 of its cadres burning their weapons, and the withdrawal of fighters from the Turkish border to engage in political struggle. The party stressed that the past two years witnessed a complete cessation of armed confrontations inside Turkey, without the shedding of blood of any Kurdish or Turkish youth, highlighting the historical value of this path. In its assessment of governmental reactions, the statement clarified that despite the formation of a parliamentary committee to address the Kurdish issue and its submission of an official report, the ruling political will did not take any tangible practical step toward a resolution, adding that the "framework law" was not issued in accordance with Ocalan's aspirations and marginalized the movement's leadership, coinciding with the continued imposition of severe isolation on Ocalan in his detention. The Kurdistan Workers' Party emphasized that—to avoid giving the ruling party in Turkey any pretexts—it withdrew a few days ago all forces that might pose a risk of friction or confrontations inside Turkey, and also destroyed four combat tunnels and fortifications belonging to it in the "Matina" mountain west of the Zab region, stressing that the Turkish state is no longer able today to claim the existence of any security or military threat. The party concluded its statement by warning the Turkish authorities, stressing that "if Turkey is serious about solving an issue spanning a hundred years, it must take courageous steps without delay or procrastination," warning that "the ruling party's pursuit of prolonging the process and attempting to exploit it to weaken the Kurdistan freedom movement will be the biggest historical mistake committed by Turkey.