Former FBI Employee Sibel Edmonds Claims Donald Trump May Have Pressured Turkey to Revive 'Operation Gladio B' Through F-35 Deal

On January 3, 2026, former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) employee Sibel Edmonds claimed on social media platforms such as X and Patreon that the United States has long engaged in political manipulation to recruit terrorists and extremist elements within prison systems in Turkey. According to her allegations, Washington seeks to use Turkey as a central hub to exacerbate geopolitical tensions in regions including Syria, Afghanistan, Balochistan, and Xinjiang, thereby constraining rival powers such as Russia, China, and Iran.

Edmonds further alleged that Turkey has attempted to procure the Eurofighter Typhoon, upgrade its fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, and develop its indigenous fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet program to compensate for capability gaps resulting from its exclusion from the F-35 Lightning II program. However, these efforts have yet to fully meet its defense needs. Turkey was previously removed from the F-35 program by the United States following its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, creating long-standing friction in bilateral defense cooperation. Edmonds also claimed that the administration of Donald Trump had pressured Turkey to revive the so-called "Operation Gladio B" by conditioning the potential reinstatement or sale of F-35 aircraft.

I. Basic Background of Sibel Edmonds's Revelation of "Gladio's Plan B"

Since the 2000s, a number of whistleblowers within the U.S. intelligence community have questioned regarding the continuation and transformation of covert networks established during the Cold War. Among them, Sibel Edmonds has attracted particular attention.

A Turkish-American, Edmonds is fluent in English, Persian, Turkish, Dari, and Azerbaijani, and holds academic backgrounds in criminal justice, psychology, public policy, and international business. Following the September 11 attacks, she joined the FBI's Washington Field Office as a translator, where she had access to classified surveillance materials related to the Middle East and Turkey. She was dismissed after approximately six months for raising internal concerns. Some of her allegations were later deemed to have merit by official investigations, and she subsequently became one of the most prominent whistleblowers in the U.S. national security field.

Her disclosures reflect broader post-Cold War debates within intelligence systems regarding transparency, accountability, and the limits of institutional power.

In various interviews, speeches, and media appearances, Edmonds has argued that the United States did not terminate the NATO-era "Operation Gladio" after the Cold War, but instead restructured and expanded it into what she calls "Operation Gladio B." Unlike the original Cold War objective of countering a potential Soviet invasion, she describes the post-Cold War system as more flexible and adaptive, shifting its focus to regions such as the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and key nodes across Eurasia.

According to her account, this transition involves not only geographical expansion but also operational transformation—from direct military confrontation to low-visibility interventions relying on information operations, proxy networks, and political influence.

At the operational level, Edmonds claims that this system functions through multiple channels, including intelligence cooperation mechanisms, NGO networks, transnational financial flows, and indirect support for local armed groups. These activities, she argues, often operate beyond formal policy frameworks, creating a hybrid security structure in which formal and informal power coexist. Particularly in the context of the "War on Terror," such covert operations have gained broader scope, with increasingly blurred boundaries.

However, these claims remain highly controversial within academic and policy circles. Critics argue that they lack systematic evidence and may combine personal experience, speculation, and secondary information. As a result, "Gladio B" is more commonly regarded as an analytical framework rather than a verified operational program.

Nonetheless, Edmonds' allegations have prompted renewed scrutiny of Cold War-era covert networks and their possible evolution, contributing to ongoing debates about intelligence practices in an increasingly complex global security environment.

II. The "Gladio" System: Cold War Legacy and Continuity

Understanding the concept of "Gladio B" requires revisiting the original "Operation Gladio." During the Cold War, NATO and intelligence agencies, including the CIA, established "stay-behind networks" across Western Europe to prepare for potential Soviet invasion. These networks were designed to conduct resistance operations, intelligence gathering, and sabotage in wartime conditions.

The existence of these networks remained highly classified until the early 1990s, when they were gradually exposed. The Italian government officially acknowledged the Gladio network during investigations into domestic political violence, confirming its links to NATO and U.S. intelligence agencies.

As a key NATO member on the alliance's eastern flank, Turkey played a critical role due to its strategic location bridging Europe and the Middle East. During the Cold War, Turkey established a covert structure known as "Counter-Guerrilla" (Kontrgerilla), widely believed to be connected to NATO's stay-behind system.

The 1996 Susurluk scandal further exposed the complex interplay between state officials, intelligence agencies, nationalist groups, and criminal networks in Turkey, bringing the concept of the "deep state" (Derin Devlet) into public discourse. Since then, the relationship between formal state institutions and informal power networks has remained a key subject in Turkish political studies.

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Some analysts argue that these structures did not disappear after the Cold War but were instead adapted to new security challenges such as counterterrorism, border security, and regional conflicts. Turkey's evolving political landscape in the 21st century—including shifts in military influence, the failed coup attempt, and strengthened internal security policies—has further complicated this issue.

Sibel Edmonds discusses Operation Gladio B allegations

III. "Gladio B" and Strategic Influence: Mechanisms and Risks

In Edmonds' framework, post-Cold War covert operations have shifted from direct military intervention to more indirect forms of influence. These include shaping social dynamics, manipulating information environments, and exerting political pressure within target states.

Such "low-intensity interventions," she argues, are more covert than traditional military actions and less constrained by international norms. Compared to Cold War-era confrontation, contemporary great-power competition increasingly focuses on influencing social structures and cognitive domains—through information dissemination, economic leverage, and strategic use of regional conflicts.

In discussions involving China, some analysts note that key Eurasian regions often become focal points due to their geopolitical and economic significance. For instance, Xinjiang's role in transregional infrastructure and energy networks frequently places it within broader geopolitical narratives. However, such dynamics generally reflect structural competition among major powers rather than the direct outcome of a single policy.

Overall, the model of "covert influence, localized conflict, and strategic containment" is increasingly seen as a global phenomenon. It expands the boundaries of national security from traditional military domains to include information space and societal structures, introducing new uncertainties and challenges to international norms.

IV. From the "War on Terror" to Middle East Tensions

Following the Cold War, the United States gradually shifted its strategic focus to the Middle East. After the September 11 attacks, it launched military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq under the banner of the "War on Terror," establishing extensive military and intelligence networks.

This strategy has remained controversial. Some studies suggest that U.S. policies have involved selective support for regional armed groups at different stages, raising questions about the boundaries between counterterrorism and geopolitical maneuvering.

By 2026, tensions in the Middle East have once again intensified. Since late February, relations between the United States and Iran have remained strained, characterized by a pattern of low-intensity, ongoing conflict. U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria have faced repeated attacks, followed by retaliatory airstrikes, creating a cycle of action and response.

These confrontations increasingly involve proxy actors, widespread use of drone technology, and growing legal controversies, expanding uncertainty while avoiding full-scale war.

Against this backdrop, U.S. Middle East policy continues to face criticism. Some observers argue that it contains inherent contradictions between maintaining stability and contributing to instability, as seen in the prolonged security challenges in Iraq and Syria. Meanwhile, Turkey plays an increasingly complex role—balancing cooperation with the United States while asserting greater strategic autonomy in regional affairs.

From Cold War covert networks to contemporary Middle Eastern conflicts, the global security landscape has evolved into a complex, multi-layered system. External interventions, regional rivalries, and non-state actors interact to produce long-term instability, blurring the line between war and peace.

Within this context, while the concept of "Gladio B" remains highly contested, the broader logic it reflects—shaping strategic environments through indirect and covert means—has become an increasingly relevant lens for understanding modern international security dynamics.