US to reduce military presence in Syria, keeping only one base operational
US envoy says Syria strategy ‘will not be like the last 100 years’ as troops pull out.
![US military convoy travels across northeastern Syria during a joint exercise with the Syrian Democratic Forces on December 8, 2021 [File: Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]](/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/AP21343483703410.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
![People attend a protest rally in Istanbul, Turkiye, on Thursday, against the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu [Emrah Gurel/AP photo]](/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25079692245644-1742524160.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
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Turkish president’s comments come as his party urged PKK affiliates in Iraq and Syria to also dissolve and disarm.
Abdullah Ocalan urges the PKK to disarm and dissolve, signalling a possible end to decades of conflict with Turkiye.
The jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) released a letter saying the group should dissolve itself.
![Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdish militant group PKK, is seen with politicians and lawmakers of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Ahmet Turk, Pervin Buldan, Sirri Sureyya Onder, Tulay Hatimogullari, Tuncer Bakirhan, Cengiz Cicek and Faik Ozgur Erol, in Imrali Island prison, in Marmara Sea, in Turkey, February 27, 2025. [Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party Handout via Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-02-27T151559Z_1225325094_RC203DAC3IJM_RTRMADP_3_TURKEY-KURDS-OCALAN_cropped-1740682662.jpg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
In a historic move, Abdullah Ocalan has asked his party to ‘lay down arms’ and dissolve itself, according to statement.
Turkiye’s arrests of people with alleged “terror” ties come despite a government effort to end Kurdish conflict.
Integrating Syria’s myriad armed groups into unified command structure is a priority of the new government.
Challenges and opportunities await Ankara as its neighbour reimagines itself after decades of dictatorship.
FM Hakan Fidan says only ‘a matter of time before YPG is eliminated’ in Syria, urges West to cease supporting group.
![Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference [Filer: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-12-13T083031Z_1233984069_RC28OBASZICZ_RTRMADP_3_SYRIA-SECURITY-BLINKEN-TURKEY-1736179243.jpg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
DEM Party expected to hold face-to-face meeting with Abdullah Ocalan, who has been in prison for 25 years.
A push for a rapprochement, spearheaded by an unlikely source, could end a decades-long conflict.
