Azerbaijan, Baku, September 12 /Trend, A.Taghiyeva/
Nearly 1000 militants from the terrorist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have left Turkey's territory since the beginning of the process of the militants' withdrawal, the report prepared by Turkey's Ministry of Internal Affairs said, Haber7 newspaper reported on Thursday.
According to the report, around 65 groups of militants with 14-16 people in each cell have left the country. Nearly 1200 joined the PKK during this year and are still in Turkey.
Previously, imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan urged members of the organization to lay down their arms and leave Turkey.
Turkish authorities promised to create conditions for a safe withdrawal of all PKK militants who surrendered.
PKK militants began to leave Turkey on May 8.
The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for over 25 years and has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people. The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the UN and the European Union.