Shafaq News- Duhok

Reports of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters withdrawing from mountainous areas of northern Duhok have renewed hopes among displaced villagers of returning home, although some residents say Turkish forces must also leave before they can return safely.

Hamid Issa, who has lived in Shiladze for decades after fleeing his village, told Shafaq News on Sunday that the PKK's withdrawal alone would not enable displaced families to return, despite a ceasefire and relative stability in the area.

Also from Shiladze, activist Iqbal Doski said the PKK's departure could revive agriculture, tourism and economic activity in border communities damaged by years of fighting. He said hundreds of local residents had been affected by the conflict between the PKK and the Turkish military and estimated that around 70% of Duhok province was affected by areas of PKK and Turkish military presence.

Sito Juma Ali, head of Nerwe village, described the withdrawal as a historic opportunity to rebuild abandoned villages and restore farmland and orchards damaged by military operations and repeated shelling. He said displaced residents of Doski Jori, Rekan and neighboring areas needed lasting security before returning to their homes after decades of displacement.

Television channels and online platforms have circulated footage purportedly showing PKK fighters leaving positions in the Metina and Gara mountains overlooking Amedi. On October 8, the PKK said all its remaining fighters had left Turkiye and that it had vacated four combat tunnels and positions in northern Iraq's Metina area, accusing Ankara of failing to advance the peace process. Turkish security sources subsequently told Anadolu Agency that four PKK positions in Metina had been vacated.

Turkiye maintains military positions in Duhok as part of its long-running campaign against the PKK. On September 23, Baghdad and Ankara agreed on the gradual transfer of the Bashiqa-Zilkan military camp near Mosul to Iraqi control, an arrangement that did not cover Turkish positions in Duhok. In June, local authorities permitted daytime visits to several long-closed border villages, warning residents about landmines and unexploded ordnance, while some villages remained inaccessible.

The current peace process began in October 2024 following an initiative by Turkish nationalist leader Devlet Bahceli. The PKK announced its dissolution in May 2025 after its imprisoned founder, Abdullah Ocalan, called for an end to the armed struggle. The group began withdrawing fighters from Turkiye in 2025, with successive announcements over the following year as the process continued.

Read more: The Kurdish rebellion dissolves: Turkiye’s century-old equation evolves

Turkiye's parliament then passed legislation in August 2026 establishing a legal framework for the dissolution and disarmament process, including provisions affecting prosecutions and convictions once authorities determine that the PKK and affiliated groups have ended their activities and surrendered their weapons.

The conflict, which began in 1984, has killed more than 40,000 people.