ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) said Thursday that it had recently evacuated four positions in the Kurdistan Region near the Turkish border to give Ankara no pretext to cite an “armed threat” from the group, while criticizing the Turkish government’s lack of practical steps in the peace process.

PKK withdrew “all armed forces from Turkey as well as from areas outside Turkey that could be described as being close to the border,” the Kurdish group said in a statement carried by affiliated media, adding that the evacuation took place in “four war tunnels and positions in Metina, west of Zap.”

“In doing so, we have fulfilled all the requirements of our strategy to end the armed struggle against Turkey and continue the struggle through democratic and political means,” it said.

In the statement, the PKK also criticized Ankara for “taking no steps” following the legal framework’s approval in parliament.

In August, the Turkish parliament voted to adopt a historic bill that outlines the legal framework for the peace process with the PKK, marking a substantial step forward in ending the decades-long conflict that claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Titled the "Law Proposal on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration," the legislation was approved with 468 votes in favor, 88 votes against, and six abstentions after roughly 12 hours of deliberations.

“The Turkish state can therefore no longer speak of an armed threat to Turkey in any way,” PKK said. 

In mid-August, the PKK said the peace process in Turkey cannot advance without founder Abdullah Ocalan playing a directing role following the passed framework bill that does not commit to freeing the imprisoned leader.

The armed group, which battled Ankara for over four decades, subsequently agreed to dissolve itself, withdrawing from military positions in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and engaging in a ceremonial disarmament ceremony in Sulaimani in July 2025.

Long awaited by Kurdish political forces, the adopted bill marks the largest legislative step ever taken by the Turkish state toward ending the conflict, coming after Ocalan's historic call for the group to lay down its weapons and pursue its aims through wholly non-violent means.

The Turkish bill aims to facilitate the reintegration of former PKK fighters into society and will apply to those who notify authorities in writing "of their intention to benefit from these provisions" within six months of the National Security Council confirming that the PKK has completely ended its operations, surrendered its weapons and ammunition, and "ceased their actual existence," according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

The bill does not establish a general amnesty for former PKK fighters. Instead, it aims to establish legal procedures for matters involving the postponement of certain sentences and the handling of ongoing prosecutions, according to state media.