Explosion In Istanbul Highlights Tensions In Turkey

 

On the 6th of June, a bomb exploded in Istanbul, Turkey and claimed the lives of at least 11 people, seven of whom were members of the police force. The explosion occurred in the Beyazit district after the bomb was placed in a car that was targeting a passing police vehicle, Al Jazeera reports.

No extremist group has claimed responsibility for the attack but, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted that it was the actions of the Kurdistan’s Worker’s Party (PKK). The PKK has targeted Turkish authorities since the breakdown of the fragile ceasefire in 2015.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated after visiting the wounded,

“Let me be clear, terrorist organizations distinguishing between civilians, soldiers and police does not mean anything to us. The end target is always human beings.”

Turkey has been the focus of terrorist attacks over the past year. CNN reports that along with the breakdown of the tentative peace with the PKK, Turkey has increasingly been a target of ISIS attacks since they allowed U.S. coalition planes “to fly raids on ISIS targets in neighbouring Iraq and Syria from its territory.” In October of last year, 100 people were killed outside Ankara railway station and militants from ISIS were blamed for the double bombing. In January, ten German tourists were killed from a suicide bomber’s blast, that was linked to ISIS, by the Turkish authorities. The following month, 28 people were killed as a result of a Kurdish group’s attack on a military vehicle in Ankara. A Kurdish militant group detonated a car bomb in Ankara in March, which claimed the lives of at least 37 people. As well, only six days later, an ISIS suicide bomber claimed the lives of four more people in central Istanbul.

The United Nation’s Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released a statement condemning the attack, which stated the following:

“The Secretary-General hopes that the perpetrators of this despicable terrorist attack will be swiftly identified and brought to justice.  He extends his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wishes those injured a speedy recovery.  The United Nations stands in solidarity with the people and Government of Turkey at this difficult time.”

According to the BBC, Turkey is the in middle of crisis, as they reported that,

“Suicide bombs have torn into crowds of demonstrators and tourists. Military convoys have been targeted in the heart of the capital. The country is awash with Syrian and other refugees. The government has been under pressure to stop them moving on into Europe and prevent would-be jihadis travelling the other way.”

With civilian casualties rising and military retaliation worsening, the situation is coming to a boil. The Turkish government, surrounding states, and the United Nations need to focus on reaching a peaceful resolution.

Annemarie Lewis

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