"We will protect our country from the ring of fire (in the region) through a security corridor across our borders," Erdoğan told a crowd of some 25,000 supporters in the southeastern Turkish province of Şırnak on Wednesday. "It was difficult to reach this level, we made many sacrifices," Erdoğan said in the small province, which has been a hotbed of PKK activity and terrorist attacks in the past.

Erdoğan was speaking at a campaign rally for upcoming municipal elections, a test for his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) after victory in the 2023 general elections.

He also stressed that Türkiye is erecting barriers between itself and terrorist groups seeking to involve it in conflict while also "distancing itself from both imperialists and their puppets," apparently referring to the PKK, its Syrian wing YPG and the countries Türkiye accuses of supporting the terrorist group along its borders with Iraq and Syria.

"The separatist terrorist organization is a tool imposed on our country to perpetuate the tyranny aimed at establishing single-party fascism in these lands," he added.

In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

The president spoke about how Şırnak was developed after it was cleared of terrorism and there was "a lot to do" for his government if "you don’t allow those trying to sow the seeds of strife among us." The president stated that successive AK Party governments made public investments worth TL 100 billion ($3.12 billion) in Şırnak, from hospitals to dams.

He pointed out the discovery and production of oil in Mount Gabar, located in Şırnak. "Daily production exceeded 37,000 barrels and our target is 100,000 barrels," he said, adding that, "Şırnak will take off!"

"You see, services are possible without terrorism," he said, giving the example of the Hell’s Creek region once sealed off due to terrorist attacks, which was reopened for tourism.

Turkish security forces regularly conduct counterterrorism operations in the eastern and southeastern provinces of Türkiye, where the PKK has attempted to establish a strong presence.

Security forces have adopted "ending terrorism at its root" and "attack rather than defense" strategies through their operations across the country.

There has also been a surge in the number of terrorists laying down arms and surrendering to security forces following the series of successful domestic and cross-border counterterrorism operations.

Türkiye renewed its counterterrorism campaign in the past decade after a brief lull. In Iraq, it launched Operation Claw Sword in 2022 to eliminate terrorists hiding in the mountainous regions of northern Iraq. The offensive continues with occasional precision strikes and "retaliation" strikes against terrorists engaging in harassment fire or trying to infiltrate Türkiye to carry out attacks.

Last week, President Erdoğan repeated Türkiye's resolute stance against any land being controlled by the terrorist group next door. "As we have openly told them in person, we call on all in the region to respect our security strategy. Otherwise, they will be the reason for potential tensions. We have made preparations that will cause new nightmares for those who assume they can bring Türkiye to its knees by establishing a 'terroristan' along our southern borders," Erdoğan warned in remarks earlier this month.