Fighting against terrorism and terrorist groups is not an easy and simple task. It requires a multidimensional approach that must include many different apparatuses within the state. At times, it even requires international cooperation to tackle transnational terrorist groups. The complexity is further heightened when these groups transform into proxies for sovereign states, employed against each other.
Türkiye has long suffered from proxy terrorist groups such as the PKK, its Syrian offshoot YPG, the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and Daesh, which has also made it an experienced country when it comes to capacity and capability on many levels, from intelligence to direct confrontation to tackling terror-related activities, including narcotics and financial operations. This has, indeed, been the case in the country's ongoing efforts to combat the PKK, which has been targeting Turkish sovereignty and its citizens for the past decade. Moreover, Türkiye has also strengthened its diplomatic muscle by addressing the PKK not only as a domestic threat but also as a transnational terrorist group.
The PKK's presence within Türkiye's borders has been minimized. The PKK threat and fight against this threat, however, continues, as the group has been active in northern Syria and northern Iraq to establish a terror corridor along Türkiye's southern borders. Furthermore, Ankara's Western allies, namely the U.S. and some European Union countries, have been providing support to the PKK/YPG despite most of them listing the group as a terrorist organization. This is not a secret activity. Moreover, the members of the group have been able to find political support for legitimacy, recruit new members and carry out activities for financial support within the borders of Ankara's allies.
In response, the Turkish state has developed a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy that is not only multidimensional but also involves addressing terrorism at its roots, whether within or beyond borders. The cross-border operations in northern Syria and Iraq since 2016, along with highly successful intelligence operations against the PKK's leadership figures, stand as tangible outcomes of this strategy.
Of course, decision-makers in the Turkish state are very well aware that the battle against the PKK is not only a struggle against the group and its members. If that were the case, the fight against the PKK would have ended long ago, considering the capabilities of security apparatuses and the country's military power. In other words, when the U.S. provides the YPG with military support under the guise of a fight against Daesh when the European countries allow PKK activities within their borders, the strategy becomes complicated.
In fact, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's recent address, which included messages to the supporters of the PKK/YPG and signaled new cross-border operations following the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, is directly related to this complex strategy. This message came after a series of attacks that resulted in the martyrdom of Turkish soldiers in December and January.
"Since the promises made to us are not being fulfilled, no one can object to Türkiye taking necessary measures for its own security. No one can expect us to stand idly by while the separatist traitors are being bolstered under various excuses. In the months ahead, we will definitely take new steps in this direction, regardless of who says what."
This message was direct to the U.S. counterparts as Washington not only provides military and logistical equipment to the YPG terrorists in northern Syria, it also provides tactical training to the members of the group, which are then, in one way or another, directly against Türkiye, either through attacks from northern Syria or through northern Iraq.
"As Türkiye has eliminated terrorist ringleaders in places where they feel safe, attempts to hinder our country have further intensified. Attempts to bolster the PKK terrorist organization by providing it with weapons, ammunition, training and protection have gained momentum. We know it quite well that these attempts, which have failed as a result of Türkiye's cross-border operations in Syria and Iraq, still continue persistently," Erdoğan said.
Erdoğan directed this message squarely at Washington as well. At a time when the region is going through some historic tensions and the risk of a region-wide conflict is at the door, Ankara tells Washington that the attempts to use the power vacuum in Iraq and Syria and provoke Türkiye will not be left unanswered.
Moreover, the Turkish president signals that, while the ongoing operations will continue in northern Iraq, new operations will also include the PKK/YPG-occupied areas in northern Syria.
"Our operations in this region will continue until we have secured every inch of the northern Iraq mountains, which are the source of terrorist acts that have hurt our citizens for nearly 40 years. Similarly, we will not stop until we have destroyed all of the terrorist nests established with insidious intentions in Syria, from Tal Rifaat to Ayn al-Arab, Hassakeh to Manbij," Erdoğan said.
In essence, Erdoğan tells Washington that Ankara is determined to clear out all threats against its sovereignty, wherever they may be and this determined position will not change regardless of who is backing them. For Ankara, this is an existential matter for its sovereignty and is not driven by territorial expansion or a quest for political influence.
In a period in which the common belief that the U.S. is involved in every conflict or tension that causes instability in the region is perhaps at its peak, it is crucial for Washington to attentively read messages coming from Ankara. Decision-makers should carefully analyze Ankara's position, focusing on a long-term strategy that would serve the bilateral ties between the two NATO allies and regional stability. Moreover, interpreting Washington-Ankara ties through international dynamics is imperative, especially when the great power struggle is highly fragile and undergoing significant shifts.
"Since the promises made to us are not being fulfilled, no one can object to Türkiye taking necessary measures for its own security. No one can expect us to stand idly by while the separatist traitors are being bolstered under various excuses," Erdoğan said regarding the U.S. promises made and never kept regarding northern Syria.
The U.S. support of the PKK/YPG heavily damaged Ankara-Washington ties, in addition to some other dossiers, including the unwavering U.S. support of Israel's atrocities in Gaza. The upcoming resolution of the F-16 matter and its implications on the Turkish Parliament's vote on Sweden's NATO accession stand as crucial tests for the future trajectory of these relations.
