Suicide Attack: No Surprise! – OpEd

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By Ihsan Bal

A chorus of voice is proclaiming that we are about to have a hot summer.

From security analysts to terrorism experts, from intelligence operatives to politicians and newspaper columnists, almost everyone seems to be of the opinion that terrorist attacks are increasing.

Finally the Minister of the Interior has mentioned the possibility that the attacks may increase.

On Friday 25 May, the news bulletins reported that a suicide bomber had been caught in Istanbul, also 10 civilians had been kidnapped in Lice and a major attack in Hakkari had been prevented by a raid on a depot while it was still being prepared. The same day it was also reported that in Pinarbaşı County in Kayseri Province, there had been an attempted suicide bombing of a police headquarters.

What do these terrorist operations indicate?

The car involved in the Pinarbaşı Council suicide bombing attempt had 06 –Ankara—numberplate and had set out from Gaziantep heavily loaded with explosives and Kalashnikov rifles. This suggests that its real objective was one of the large cities and most probably the capital.

It is obvious that the militants, unable to strike at the target they had planned, and thus had switched to a different attack target in consequence.

If one includes the Pinarbaşı strike in which a policeman was killed and 18 other people injured, then it is clear that preparations were being made for a string of attacks from Hakkari to Istanbul.

Thank to the intense efforts of the security forces, a significant section of the attacks were thus prevented. However the fact that they continued determinedly with these strikes, intended to damage the country, and managed to get around the wall of security, indicates the following very plainly. There is a desire to bring Turkey to its knees this summer and to oblige the government to negotiate by force.

Mischievous Plans

Many Kurdish intellectuals, notably Kemal Burkay, say that parties which have political responsibility should not resort to the ‘heritage of the mountains’ in a country where people are being killed and that they should instead seek a solution in the National Assembly and find ways towards a solution. However the BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) member of the Parliament who made a statement immediately after the attacks appeared not to be disposed to enquire what so many bombs and guns and the murder of innocent people in the midst of the country was achieving or how it was happening. Far from denouncing the attacks, this person sees nothing wrong with inviting the government to the negotiating table. Despite the fact that everyone knows that Turkey’s ruling party has repeatedly invited the BDP to negotiate.

But tragically, the political thinking of the BDP is still concealed in places overshadowed by the militants.

Regrettably language of this kind is not just heard from one person’s mouth. On a tape-recording, said that it belongs to a jailed general, the words ‘if this is a civil war, we shall fight’ can be heard. The fact which we should all see is that there are those who incite others to murder, but at the same time hope to bewilder the country with talk of law and democracy and then light the fuse for chaos.

It is clear that there is a very large body of people who are eager to force Turkey into a corner this summer with terrorist operations and dark murders and who want to push the government into the arms of the terrorists.

It is clear that we are going through a struggle which is dishonest, ambivalent, full of falsehood, deeply insidious, dirty and bloody…

It is impossible for anyone to succeed who is striving to take today’s Turkey prisoner using the scenarios of the old Turkey. But those who are enamored of chaos appear poised to make this country pay a very high price in lost time at this critical period. However, it is crystal clear that time lost by ones who looks for chaos will create a serious harm for the country.

Ihsan Bal
Head of USAK Science Committee

Turkish version of this article was first published in Haberturk Daily.

JTW

JTW - the Journal of Turkish Weekly - is a respected Turkish news source in English language on international politics. Established in 2004, JTW is published by Ankara-based Turkish think tank International Strategic Research Organization (USAK).

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