Why Turkey is vulnerable to growing terror attacks
A string of attacks has caused a big drop in tourism, a major source of revenue for Turkey
The bombing at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport Tuesday is the latest in a wave of terror attacks in Turkey as it grapples with growing unrest spilling over from the civil war raging in neighbouring Syria.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack at the airport, but Turkey has been a target of both Islamic State terrorists and Kurdish separatists during the past year.
The growing terrorist threat heightens the risk of destabilising a Nato member and critical US ally in the war against the Islamic State militants.
“Turkey has been very vulnerable to terrorism,” said Bulent Aliriza, an analyst at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
ISIS has had a campaign against Turkey for the past year
The Islamic State, also called ISIS and ISIL, has launched major attacks in Turkey over the past year, as the government has cooperated more with the United States and the West in the fight against the Islamic State, which has gained a foothold in neighbouring Iraq and Syria.
“Turkey has been involved in balancing act for a year now,” Aliriza said. “It is cooperating with the United States and trying to prevent ISIS from retaliating.”
Initially, Turkey considered the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad as a bigger threat than the Islamic State and was reluctant to cooperate closely with the United States, but more recently the government has helped US-led efforts.
Last year, Turkey allowed US aircraft to fly from Incirlik air base to target militants in Iraq and Syria. Turkey has also increased efforts to prevent foreign fighters from moving through its border into Syria.
James Jeffrey, a former US ambassador to Turkey, said Tuesday’s airport attack has the markings of an Islamic State operation. The target is international and suicide bombers were used in the attack.
“ISIS has had a campaign against Turkey for the past year,” Jeffrey said.
As the US-led coalition has made headway in pushing the militants out of Iraq and Syria, the group has increasingly turned to terror attacks around the world.
“ISIS is striking back,” Jeffrey said.
Hundreds of people have been killed or injured by the wave of attacks in Turkey. There have been at least five major attacks in Istanbul this year.
Earlier this month, a car bomb targeted a police bus in Istanbul, killing seven officers and four civilians. The banned Kurdish Worker’s Party, which attempts to attack police and military targets, was suspected of carrying out the attack, according to media reports.
In January a suspected member of the Islamic State blew himself near the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, a major attraction in the city. The blast killed 10 people, including eight German tourists. The government identified the bomber as a Syrian.
Turkey has responded to the attacks by arresting Islamic State suspects and battling the Kurdish Workers’ Party, an armed separatist movement, in its strongholds.
The string of attacks have caused a big drop in tourism, a major source of revenue for Turkey. Many cruise ships that used to make port calls in Istanbul are bypassing the city.
