DUBAI, UAE - Iraqi politicians and parliamentarians are moving to end Turkey’s military presence on the country’s northern borders following a call from Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan for his followers to lay down their arms. 

On Thursday, Ocalan in a historic address called on PKK members to lay down arms and dissolve the group as part of ongoing peace talks with Turkish authorities.

Iraq’s ruling Coordination Framework, is demanding an immediate withdrawal of Turkish forces from the country following the address.

“The Iraqi government must act urgently to end the Turkish military presence,” Mohammed al-Shammari, a lawmaker from the Coordination Framework, told The New Region on Saturday. “This presence is illegal and constitutes a clear and blatant occupation of Iraqi territory.”

Shammari said Ankara has long justified its military presence and airstrikes by citing the PKK’s activities in northern Iraq, but now that Ocalan has called for a ceasefire, he argued, Turkey must withdraw and engage with Iraq through diplomacy rather than military expansion.

“The Iraqi government must take immediate diplomatic steps to resolve this issue,” Shammari said. “The decision to expel all foreign forces from Iraq includes Turkish forces.”

Iraq’s Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee has also pledged to push for the removal of Turkish troops.

“The committee will summon government officials to discuss the withdrawal of Turkish forces and the removal of military bases in Iraq,” committee member Yasser Watout told The New Region. “There is no justification for their presence, especially after the PKK’s decision to lay down arms.”

Watout stressed that Iraq should resolve the issue diplomatically rather than through military confrontation. He suggested that Baghdad could use economic pressure as leverage to push Ankara toward a withdrawal.

Despite growing political calls for Turkey’s military exit, experts say Iraq is unlikely to force Ankara to withdraw.

“Iraq does not have the capability to compel Turkey to leave,” political and security analyst Mohammed Ali al-Hakim told The New Region. “Ankara has an expansionist agenda in the north and has used the PKK issue as a justification for its presence for years.”

For decades, Turkey has carried out air and ground operations in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq targeting the PKK.

Headquartered in the Kurdistan Region’s Mount Qandil, the PKK is an armed group that has fought for increased Kurdish rights in Turkey for decades. The group is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, Europe, and the US. 

Turkish forces have established military positions deep inside Iraqi territory, particularly in Duhok province, where operations have caused civilian casualties, destroyed farmland, and resulted in the establishment of multiple military bases in border villages.

“Turkey will not withdraw its forces,” Hakim said. “Baghdad cannot enforce a withdrawal due to weak negotiations and the political and economic interests that some Iraqi factions share with Ankara.”

The PKK officially announced a ceasefire in response to Ocalan’s call on Saturday, stating that it will not initiate military operations unless attacked by Turkish forces.

“As the PKK, we agree with the content of the call and state from our side that we will comply with and implement the requirements of the call. However, we would like to underline that democratic politics and legal grounds must also be suitable for success,” read a statement released by the PKK regarding Ocalan’s call.