Kurdish PKK group says Turkish state not doing enough to pursue peace process

The PKK on Thursday (October 8, 2026) accused the Turkish state of doing little to pursue the peace process that began in 2024, despite the Kurdish group having withdrawn all its combat forces from Turkiye.

Turkiye's parliament in August voted through a law offering limited amnesty for militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the first legislative step to ending the conflict that has left some 50,000 people dead over decades of bloody conflict.

"We have withdrawn all our armed forces, both within and outside of Turkiye, that could be considered near the border," the movement told the ANF Kurdish news agency, adding that the move was taken to prevent the government "making any excuses or justifying its inadequate approach to the process".

"Thus, the requirements of our strategy to end the armed struggle against Turkiye and engage in democratic political struggle have been fully fulfilled," it said.