The suicide attack at a wedding ceremony in Turkey’s southeastern province of Gaziantep, near the Syria border that killed more than 50 people and wounded many, is the latest in a string of horrific terrorist attacks intended to destabilise the country. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the bomber was a child and the initial findings indicate that perpetrators might be Daesh, also known as Islamic State (IS).
Turkey, a nation of 80 million people, is facing three major threats to its security - Gulenist elements in military, police and even in judiciary which is blamed for the failed coup plot on July 15, the outlawed secessionist militant outfit PKK, and the dreaded terror group IS. Turkey’s role in Syria has been complicated by its own long-running battle with an insurgency waged by the Kurdish ethnic group who live across eastern Turkey and in parts of Syria, Iraq and Iran.
Islamic States’ open threat against Turkey was reported exactly a year ago when the militant group called for the overthrow of President Erdogan, weeks after Ankara declared it was aligning itself with the United States in the war against IS. The terrorist group has been launching major attacks in Turkey over the past year, as the government has cooperated more with the US and the West in the fight against the outfit, which has gained a foothold in neighbouring Iraq and Syria. Southeastern Turkey has been hit by several deadly blasts, linked to IS PKK. Three suspected IS suicide bombers killed 44 people at Istanbul’s main airport in July, the deadliest in a string of attacks in Turkey this year. Almost 40 people were killed in a suicide attack in Ankara in March that was claimed by a Kurdish separatist group.
The destabilisation of Turkey is good news for IS and Kurdish militant groups because security organisations will be concentrating most of their efforts to hunting down Gulenists. The armed forces used to be seen as a guarantee of Turkey’s stability, inside and outside the country. But after the failed coup no less than 149 out of a total of 358 military generals and admirals have been detained or dismissed from their duties. Erdogan had said that he did not think that the military and police were totally cleared of Gulenist elements and warned that the government will continue actions to clean up all state and public institutions from the traitors so that Turkey no longer face such threats. Turkey, a Nato member and one of the strongest nations in Europe which hosts the largest number of refugees worldwide, with 2.5 million people needs support from international community to eradicate the terror menace.
The suicide attack at a wedding ceremony in Turkey’s southeastern province of Gaziantep, near the Syria border that killed more than 50 people and wounded many, is the latest in a string of horrific terrorist attacks intended to destabilise the country. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the bomber was a child and the initial findings indicate that perpetrators might be Daesh, also known as Islamic State (IS).
Turkey, a nation of 80 million people, is facing three major threats to its security - Gulenist elements in military, police and even in judiciary which is blamed for the failed coup plot on July 15, the outlawed secessionist militant outfit PKK, and the dreaded terror group IS. Turkey’s role in Syria has been complicated by its own long-running battle with an insurgency waged by the Kurdish ethnic group who live across eastern Turkey and in parts of Syria, Iraq and Iran.
Islamic States’ open threat against Turkey was reported exactly a year ago when the militant group called for the overthrow of President Erdogan, weeks after Ankara declared it was aligning itself with the United States in the war against IS. The terrorist group has been launching major attacks in Turkey over the past year, as the government has cooperated more with the US and the West in the fight against the outfit, which has gained a foothold in neighbouring Iraq and Syria. Southeastern Turkey has been hit by several deadly blasts, linked to IS PKK. Three suspected IS suicide bombers killed 44 people at Istanbul’s main airport in July, the deadliest in a string of attacks in Turkey this year. Almost 40 people were killed in a suicide attack in Ankara in March that was claimed by a Kurdish separatist group.
The destabilisation of Turkey is good news for IS and Kurdish militant groups because security organisations will be concentrating most of their efforts to hunting down Gulenists. The armed forces used to be seen as a guarantee of Turkey’s stability, inside and outside the country. But after the failed coup no less than 149 out of a total of 358 military generals and admirals have been detained or dismissed from their duties. Erdogan had said that he did not think that the military and police were totally cleared of Gulenist elements and warned that the government will continue actions to clean up all state and public institutions from the traitors so that Turkey no longer face such threats. Turkey, a Nato member and one of the strongest nations in Europe which hosts the largest number of refugees worldwide, with 2.5 million people needs support from international community to eradicate the terror menace.
