Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Terror In Turkey: Who Is To Blame?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Terror In Turkey: Who Is To Blame?

    TERROR IN TURKEY: WHO IS TO BLAME?

    Al-Ahram Weekly
    August 30, 2012
    Egypt

    With Syria imploding on its borders, Turkey is increasingly worried
    about armed groups in the vicinity using force to press their demands,
    writes Sayed Abdel-Meguid in Ankara

    The past two weeks were traumatic in Turkey, where forest fires
    threatened border areas, secessionists struck in some areas, and
    long-dormant terrorist organisations threatened to resume their
    bloody activities.

    It all started with the forest fires on the borders with Syria. The
    fires, close to refugee camps, triggered accusations of arson and
    suspicions that agents of Bashar Al-Assad were involved. As Turkish
    authorities scrambled to fight the fires, more Syrian refugees were
    crossing the border, adding to the burden on humanitarian aid and
    threatening a replay of the 1991 situation, when 0.5 million Iraqis
    crossed the border en masse.

    To make things worse, secessionists associated with the PKK, the
    Kurdish Workers' Party, may have used the turmoil on the borders to
    infiltrate deep into Turkey. On the second day of the feast, a police
    station in Gaziantep was blown up. The explosion took the lives of
    nine people, including four children. The death toll may rise, as
    other casualties are still in a critical condition.

    The PKK denied any connection with the blast, but in the mind of most
    Turks, it is the only group capable of such brutality. In reprisal,
    a mob burned down the offices of the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party,
    closely linked to the PKK.

    In another tragedy, a traffic accident led to the death of 10,
    including nine military servicemen, on the Sirnak-Uludere road.

    Samil Tayyar, the Justice and Development Party parliamentarian for
    Gaziantep, blamed Syrian intelligence for the blast, saying that the
    refugee camps in Hatay and Orfa have been infiltrated with agents of
    the Syrian regime.

    The government is taking a lot of heat over what many Turks consider
    to be a laxity in security. Before the Gaziantep blast, warnings
    were issued of an impending attack by a booby-trapped vehicle, but
    no precautions were taken.

    Bulent Arinc, the deputy prime minister, tried his best to calm
    down critics. But throughout the media, politicians including those
    associated with the government -- slammed the authorities for not
    taking enough action to protect the public against possible terrorist
    attacks.

    The situation grew particularly tense when the defunct ASALA (Armenian
    Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia), mysteriously rising
    from the ashes, warned that it would resume its operations unless
    the government distances itself from the civil war in Syria. The
    terrorist organisation, which disbanded in 1986, said that the Turkish
    government should cease its support for the Free Syrian Army, which
    allegedly carried out attacks against Armenians. In a statement sent
    to the press, ASALA said that if the Turkish army were to conduct
    any military action in Syria, the group would resume its attacks on
    Turkish facilities and diplomats.

    Feeling beleaguered, the Turkish government is now blaming the
    Americans for failing to give it the support it needed. It is
    particularly upset that armed elements apparently arriving from
    northern Iraq were able to launch an attack inside its territories.

    President Abdullah Gul, who had cut short a visit to Kirgizstan
    because of a middle ear infection, urged Washington to do more on
    the anti-terror front.

    In an attempt to remedy the situation, Turkey and the US have agreed
    to take extra measures to confront the PKK, Al-Qaeda and other
    extremist groups. The main aim, Turkish officials say, is to prevent
    extremist groups from using the political vacuum in north Syria to
    their advantage.

    American diplomats in Baghdad say that they intend to hold talks with
    Massoud Barzani on ways to stop Kurdish secessionists from launching
    operations from Iraq.

    Kurdish secessionists, some say, are not only coming from Iraq,
    but also from Iran. The Iranians used to cooperate with the Turks on
    anti-terror matters, but their cooperation ended about 18 months ago,
    when the Turks decided to install an anti-missile shield in Malataya
    despite Iranian protests.

    To stem further trouble on its border areas, Turkey wants the UN to
    agree to a safe zone in northern Syria. If a five kilometre-deep
    strip of land is declared a safe haven along the Syrian borders,
    then the Turks will have less work, expense, and risk dealing with
    the issue of Syrian refugees, goes the argument.

    The proposal is going to be discussed soon at the UN, but may run
    into Chinese and Russian opposition.


    From: Baghdasarian
Working...
X