The pull out comes six months after the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) formally renounced its armed struggle against Turkey, drawing a line under four decades of violence that had claimed some 50,000 lives.

"As of the evening of November 16, our forces.. in the Zap region have been withdrawn," the group said in a statement, describing it as a "significant practical contribution" to ongoing efforts to reset ties with Ankara.

"We believe this new step will serve the resolution of the Kurdish issue and will help with the peace and democratisation of Turkey," said the statement which was published by Firat news agency.

The PKK has long had bases in the Zap region of northern Iraq, which was targeted by Turkish troops in a ground operation in 2008 and has often been hit by air strikes.

The region has symbolic importance for the PKK as the place where its headquarters was initially located before moving further east to the Qandil Mountains.