Shafaq News – Baghdad / Erbil / Ankara

Turkiye, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have reached a landmark agreement to evacuate the Makhmour refugee camp in northern Iraq, according to a report by the Middle East Eye.

This move follows renewed peace talks between Turkiye and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which led to the group’s decision in May to disband and end its armed struggle.

The evacuation is expected to be completed by September. Under the terms of the deal, residents will either be resettled within Iraq or relocated to Turkiye. Those identified as linked to the PKK but not involved in criminal activities may receive temporary accommodation in Turkiye.

Established in the 1990s, the Makhmour camp has long been a point of tension between Ankara and Baghdad. It currently houses over 12,000 Kurdish refugees who fled their homes amid clashes between Turkiye’s security forces and the PKK in south-eastern Turkiye.

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