Turkish military aircraft on Tuesday dropped leaflets over mountainous areas of Iraq’s northern Duhok province, calling on fighters from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to surrender and heed the appeal of their imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan, according to local news outlet Shafaq News.
The leaflets, written in Turkish and Kurdish, were dropped over Mount Matin and Mount Gara in the al-Amadiyah district, an area long believed to host PKK strongholds. Residents of nearby villages told Shafaq News that the flyers urged militants to abandon the armed conflict and “respond to Öcalan’s call,” promising leniency to those who lay down their weapons and turn themselves in.
The leaflet campaign comes nearly two months after a rare and high-profile statement from Öcalan, who has been held in a Turkish prison since 1999. On February 27, members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) read his message aloud in Istanbul after visiting him on İmralı Island.
In the message, Öcalan urged the PKK to disband and shift from armed conflict to democratic political engagement, calling it a “historic responsibility” and signaling his support for a peaceful resolution to the decades-long conflict.
The PKK, which has fought the Turkish state since the 1980s for Kurdish autonomy, is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
The February statement drew international attention. The White House described Öcalan’s appeal as a “major development” and expressed hope it would help reduce tensions in the region, particularly between Turkey and Kurdish-led forces in northeastern Syria that have received US backing.
Turkey has conducted numerous military operations against PKK bases in northern Iraq, where the group maintains a presence in remote mountainous areas near the Turkish border. Tuesday’s leaflet drop marks a shift from traditional combat operations toward psychological and political messaging, signaling Ankara’s interest in amplifying Öcalan’s voice as part of a broader strategy to dismantle the PKK’s armed wing.