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| The Grand Turk |
| Turkey: Kurdish rebels to begin pullout |
| 2013-05-08 |
| Kurdish rebels are due to begin their much-anticipated withdrawal from Turkey into their stronghold in northern Iraq on Wednesday, a major step towards ending a decades-long conflict that has left tens of thousands dead. The pullout will be the first visible sign that months of fragile talks between the state and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) could succeed in ending 29 years of guerrilla war. Around 2 000 rebels are expected to begin leaving Turkey on foot, travelling through the mountainous border zone to reach their safe haven in the inhospitable Qandil mountains in northern Iraq. There they will join another 5 000 fellow militants at the command base which has been used as a springboard for attacks against Turkish security forces. "The withdrawals are expected to take three or four months to complete," said Selahattin Demirtas, a pro-Kurdish lawmaker who has been part of the budding peace process. On Tuesday the Kurdish rebels said they would not renege on their promise to withdraw on the orders of their imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan. |
| Posted by:tipper |