ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Turkish state media, citing security sources, on Monday confirmed the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) withdrawal from four positions in the Kurdistan Region, describing the development as a “historic” step in the ongoing peace process.

On Thursday, PKK said 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 toward an enduring peace.

The military group 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, adding that the evacuation took place in “four war tunnels and positions in Metina, west of Zap.”

PKK forces have evacuated their positions in Hebat, Yajk, Sabri, and Sason of northern Kurdistan Region’s Metina region on October 8, Turkish state media confirmed on Monday.

The development was described as “a historic turning point” for the future of the country by Anadolu Agency.

Such initiatives will continue as Ankara aims to ensure the integration of PKK members into society through comprehensive programs in areas such as education and the economy, it added.

However, the PKK has criticized Ankara for “taking no steps” following the legal framework’s approval in parliament despite its compliance with Turkish requirements.

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 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 leader Abdullah 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.