The terrorist attacks carried out by the PKK in Northern Iraq within two weeks herald a new and harsh era. The knot has been untied, and things have come to a head. Behind these attacks is the guarantee given by the United States to the PKK. Ankara has seen the picture and responded. In this article, I will focus on the U.S. guarantee, Ankara's decision, and why Talabani has come to the forefront.

First, a brief background:

Türkiye's decision to establish dialogue with Damascus disrupted the status quo established in favor of the United States in the region. If such an agreement were to materialize, it would make it impossible for the U.S. to stay in Syria. In response, the U.S. devised a new game plan. It aimed to increase permeability in the north of Syria and Iraq, strengthen its military presence, and control the region through the PKK and Talabani. As part of this, the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Milley, met with terrorists in northern Syria. (Decoding the U.S. General's Secret Visit, March 2023) In doing so, they sabotaged the normalization process between Ankara and Damascus, along with Iran. The process stalled.

The U.S. was building its presence in the region on the terrorist organization PKK. It expected loyalty from the terrorist organization, which was also closely affiliated with Iran. In return, the PKK sought a guarantee from the U.S. regarding targeted point operations against Türkiye's terrorist leaders (and its presence in Syria). (What Bargain did the U.S. General Make with the Terrorist, March 2023) Meanwhile, a helicopter that crashed in northern Iraq and transported terrorists from Syria to Iraq exposed the new game the U.S. was trying to establish in the region. Bafel Talabani was outraged. Ankara closed its airspace to Sulaymaniyah. (Helicopter Crash in the Devil's Triangle, March 2023) While the negotiations between the U.S. and the PKK continued, an operation was carried out against PKK terrorist Mazlum Abdi in the city of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. Abdi narrowly escaped. (April 2023)

Let's not delve into more details. At this point, with effective operations by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), terrorist leaders were successively killed. The PKK, openly criticizing the U.S., began to say, "You're not protecting us."

It appears that the U.S.-PKK negotiations concluded in September 2023. After this, the PKK pressed the button. The terrorist attack on the Ministry of Interior in Ankara on October 1 was carried out with the confidence in this guarantee, even if Israel encouraged it. On October 5, the U.S. downed a Turkish UAV in Syria, stating, "You came too close to my soldiers," delivering a message to the PKK that it was keeping its promise. (It could not stop Turkish operations against leaders; that's a different matter.) The terrorist attacks in northern Iraq, even if encouraged by Israel, are also based on this assurance.

Now, let's focus on Ankara's response.

Ankara is conducting a diplomatic traffic with Baghdad to break the terrorist axis that the U.S. is trying to establish on the Syria-Iraq line. In this context, the Development Path Project was put on the table in a short period of 5 months. After meetings held by the Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Baghdad and Ankara, Iraq, for the first time, described the terrorist organization PKK as a "threat" in a written text. (December 2023) (In the future, many actors will make many attempts to undermine the Development Path.)

The other dimension of the strategy is to continue drying up terrorism at its source. The guarantee given by the U.S. to the terrorist organization is also evident. So, what will happen?

In a statement after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, President Erdogan included a very important detail. Erdogan announced that an important decision was made at the security summit held at Dolmabahce Palace after the terrorist attacks. Let's quote with quotation marks: "We gave instructions to our security forces to eliminate all terrorist elements they identify without looking at who is around, behind, or in the vicinity."

This is a response to the guarantee offered by the U.S. to the terrorist organization. Let's also emphasize that Erdogan said that operations in Syria and Iraq will continue to expand in the coming months.

The third dimension of Ankara's response is the inclusion of other actors collaborating with the PKK. Bafel Talabani, centered in Sulaymaniyah, plays a key role in this. He opens up space for the PKK, coordinates the U.S.'s terrorist axis plan in Syria-Iraq, and facilitates Iran-PKK relations. (The dimension of Talabani-Iran relations is one of the reasons for Iran's killing of Dollar billionaire businessman Peşrev Dizeyi, close to Barzani, the day before yesterday. Dizeyi was also rumored to be involved in the Development Path Project.)

I can summarize the information I have acquired about the Talabani-PKK relationship as follows: Talabani transports materials and terrorists between Syria and Kandil. He provides logistical support by allocating helicopters to the terrorist organization. He provides drone training to the organization at airports in Sulaymaniyah. He designates Arbat Airport as a base for the organization. He provides medical support to the terrorist organization and ensures the treatment of injured terrorists. He plays a role in recruiting members for the organization.

Talabani had previously been warned about his relations with the PKK. However, he turned a deaf ear to these warnings. The following statement by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan from the rostrum of the Turkish Grand National Assembly is important: "If the KYB does not change its PKK-affiliated attitude despite our sanctions against Sulaymaniyah, we will not hesitate to take further measures." I researched what these advanced measures are. It is said that the "range of measures is wide," but details are not provided.

Let's suffice with the emphasis on "Things have come to a head."