Kurdish rebels halt withdrawal from Turkey to Iraq: accuse govt of failing to enact reforms
ANKARA, Turkey – A pro-Kurdish news agency says Kurdish rebels have suspended their withdrawal from Turkey over what they see as the Turkish government’s failure to take steps that would advance peace talks aimed at ending a decades-long conflict.
The Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, declared a cease-fire in March and began withdrawing fighters from Turkey into bases in northern Iraq in May as part of the peace efforts. Turkey in turn was expected to enact reforms to improve Kurdish rights.
The Firat news agency said Monday that the rebels think the government has failed to take steps toward “democratization and the resolution of the Kurdish problem.”
The PKK has fought Turkey for autonomy. The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1984.
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