Murat Karayilan, who is a leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), stated that if the operations that took place in 1999 repeat, the PKK will suspend its withdrawal from Turkey.    

Karayilan responded to Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement that, “The Kurdish militants will go just as they came,” Hurriyet daily of Turkey informs. 

The PKK leader stressed that the Kurdish militants had not come from anywhere.  

“We were in Turkey, and 80 percent of our forces joined the PKK inside Turkey,” Karayilan said.

He also considered it important that no military operations are conducted, while the Kurdish militants are leaving Turkey, as these were carried out in 1999. Murat Karayilan warned that if such operations are launched, they will have to suspend their withdrawal from Turkey.