At a Glance 

• Erbil and Baghdad are managing Turkey's new border security framework.
• Turkey has promised a full military retreat from Kurdistan in exchange for local border control.
• The peace process framework includes a 12-article integration law and closing the Makhmour camp.

Kurdistan Region and Iraq are set to assume a decisive third-party role in executing the provisions of Turkey's new "Framework Law," signaling a major diplomatic and security breakthrough along the border.

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Key Statements and Focus Areas

• The PKK has launched a strategic withdrawal from dozens of military outposts along the Iraq-Turkey border.
• Ankara has promised to pull its military forces out of the Kurdistan Region's border zones in exchange for Baghdad and Erbil's cooperation in neutralizing security threats.

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According to information obtained by Channel8, Erbil and federal Iraqi authorities will act as third-party facilitators by deploying forces to vacated Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions, overseeing disarmament efforts, and preventing military movements that could disrupt the peace process.

The PKK has already begun a strategic withdrawal, abandoning dozens of military outposts along the volatile Iraq-Turkey border.

In a coordinated response, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Peshmerga forces and federal Iraqi border guards are actively deploying to secure these frontline zones. 

This joint deployment serves a dual purpose: it establishes sovereign local control and effectively halts any further unilateral advances or fresh military incursions by the Turkish Armed Forces.

The success of the Framework Law hinges entirely on this direct cross-border cooperation, given that the PKK's primary operational bases reside within the Kurdistan Region’s mountainous borderlands. 

In exchange for this robust security sweep by Iraqi and Kurdish authorities, Ankara has formally pledged a full withdrawal of its military forces from the region, paves the way for thousands of displaced border villagers to safely return home.

A critical pillar of the trilateral understanding involves the permanent closure of the Makhmour refugee camp. Under the agreed terms, Erbil will manage the security and logistical protocols required to vet and facilitate the repatriation of the camp's residents back into Turkey. 

The sweeping diplomatic initiative follows Baghdad’s recent official designation of the PKK as a banned organization, providing the legal and political architecture necessary for this historic regional reset.

FYI

Following a historic February 2025 directive from imprisoned founder Abdullah Ocalan to lay down weapons, the PKK officially declared its disbandment in May 2025.

By July 2025, the group initiated its strategic withdrawal from the frontlines and held a symbolic disarmament ceremony in northern Iraq. 

Meanwhile, the "Framework Law," officially named the "Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration," is a historic 12-article bill that was formally submitted to Turkey’s parliament with the backing of a broad 360-lawmaker coalition. 

It establishes the legal and judicial architecture required to permanently dissolve the PKK and reintegrate its low-ranking militants into civilian life. 

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