The situation in the strategically important Zap region, located on the Iraq-Turkey border, has sharply changed.
According to information from Modern.az, the PKK terrorist organization issued a statement announcing the complete withdrawal of its units from this area as of November 16.
The organization presents this as “eliminating the risk of conflict” with the Turkish army and “contributing to the peace process.”
The statement notes that this step was taken based on the instructions of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and is aimed at minimizing the possibility of confrontation, considering Turkey's increasing military activity in the region.
The PKK's withdrawal is part of the “Turkey Without Terror” project, which began in October 2024 at the call of MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli. The project envisages the PKK completely laying down its arms and surrendering.
On February 27, 2025, Öcalan, who is serving a life sentence in İmralı prison, called on his supporters to lay down their arms, and subsequently, on July 11, PKK members held a weapon burning ceremony in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.
Following this, a “National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Commission” was established under the leadership of the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş. The commission organized hearings starting from August 5, and as a result, the complete disarmament of the PKK and the implementation of legal reforms by the government were presented as necessary steps.
Zap is a strategic area surrounded by the Taurus Mountains, just 7 km from Turkey's Hakkari city. Ankara considered this region one of the PKK's most important strongholds.
Since 2019, Turkey has carried out a series of large-scale military operations here. Examples include “Claw”, “Claw-2”. “Claw-3”, “Claw-Lion”.
Military sources state that a large part of the Zap area, from which the PKK announced its withdrawal, was already under the control of the Turkish Armed Forces.
