Skip links

Skip to Content
play

Live

Navigation menu

  • News
    • Middle East
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • US & Canada
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
  • Ukraine war
  • Features
  • Economy
  • Opinion
  • Video
    • Coronavirus
    • Climate Crisis
    • Investigations
    • Interactives
    • In Pictures
    • Science & Technology
    • Sports
    • Podcasts
play

Live

In Pictures

Gallery

In Pictures: PKK fighters arrive in Iraq

First batch of Kurdish fighters withdrawing from Turkey received by their comrades in northern Iraq.

The first group of Kurdish fighters to withdraw from Turkey under a peace process has entered northern Iraq.
Published On 14 May 201314 May 2013
facebooktwitterwhatsapp
IRAQ-KURDISTAN-TURKEY-UNREST
The 13 men and women arrived in the area of Heror near Metina mountain on the Turkish-Iraqi border on Tuesday, and were greeted by comrades from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in a symbolic step towards ending a three-decades-old insurgency.
Advertisement
IRAQ-KURDISTAN-TURKEY-UNREST
They were carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles, light machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers and had rucksacks on their backs.
IRAQ-KURDISTAN-TURKEY-UNREST
PKK fighters began leaving their positions in southeast Turkey on May 8 after a ceasefire declared by Abdullah Ocalan, their jailed leader, in March to end a conflict that has killed 40,000 people.
IRAQ-KURDISTAN-TURKEY-UNREST
After the welcome, the apparently-exhausted fighters put down their weapons and warmed themselves at a fire.
IRAQ-KURDISTAN-TURKEY-UNREST
Some 2,000 PKK fighters are based in Turkey and will join several thousand of their comrades in their bases in northern Iraq in a process expected to take several months.
IRAQ-KURDISTAN-TURKEY-UNREST
The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, is seeking political reforms to boost Kurdish rights in exchange for bringing the conflict to an end.
Advertisement
IRAQ-KURDISTAN-TURKEY-UNREST
A permanent peace could transform Turkey(***)s impoverished Kurdish-majority southeast, where investment has remained scarce and infrastructure insufficient due to the threat of violence.
IRAQ-KURDISTAN-TURKEY-UNREST
Turkey is believed to be home to the largest single community of ethnic Kurds, who are scattered across Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria.


    • About Us
    • Code of Ethics
    • Terms and Conditions
    • EU/EEA Regulatory Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Sitemap
    • Community Guidelines
    • Work for us
    • HR Quality
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Apps
    • Channel Finder
    • TV Schedule
    • Podcasts
    • Submit a Tip
    • Al Jazeera Arabic
    • Al Jazeera English
    • Al Jazeera Investigative Unit
    • Al Jazeera Mubasher
    • Al Jazeera Documentary
    • Al Jazeera Balkans
    • AJ+
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
    • Al Jazeera Media Institute
    • Learn Arabic
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights
    • Al Jazeera Forum
    • Al Jazeera Hotel Partners

Follow Al Jazeera English:

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • instagram-colored-outline
  • rss
Al Jazeera Media Network logo
© 2023 Al Jazeera Media Network