Kurdish rebel group PKK says it is withdrawing its fighters from Turkey to Iraq

A militant Kurdish group has announced its withdrawal from Turkey to Iraq as part of a peace effort with Turkey. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, issued a statement on Sunday from northern Iraq. The group has been involved in a decades-long insurgency in Turkey, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths since the 1980s. The PKK says it is withdrawing its forces to prevent clashes or provocations. The group also calls for legal and political concessions. The PKK, considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU, initially aimed to establish a Kurdish state but now seeks autonomy and rights for Kurds within Turkey.