The three-day mourning period for the victims of the bloodiest terrorist attack in the country’s history has passed today in Turkey. Two explosions in Ankara on Saturday killed 97 people and left 500 wounded. The victims were the participants of the “Labor, Peace, Democracy” rally, which had been held in support of immediate ending of the conflict between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The demonstration, which was interrupted by the blasts, had been organized in order to protest the resumption of military confrontation in the said conflict. The rally was attended by supporters of the People’s Democratic Party, which supports Kurds. Selahattin Demirtas, the party leader, has accused the government of organizing the attack. Some opposition members even suggest that this attack will play in favor of the ruling party in the light of the elections of November 1, allowing it to play the card of stability and protection against the Kurdish threat. In addition, opposition accuses the government of insufficient security measures for this peaceful march and of poor intelligence work that failed to prevent the attack of two suicide bombers. However, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the principal opposition force, the Republican People’s Party, had said: “I do not want to blame anyone today. But of course, one needs to think about how this country is governed. After all, we can all live peacefully together. I believe that the ministers of Interior and Justice should resign immediately if they respect their people and the victims of the attack. It is their political responsibility.”
No terrorist organization has taken the responsibility for the crime so far. Meanwhile, Ahmet Davutoglu, Prime Minister of Turkey, said that the extremist group Islamic State is the focus of the investigation. Speaking on Turkish television, Davutoglu claimed that the investigators were close to identifying of one of the suspects through a DNA test. According to him, the attack was intended to manipulate the outcome of the parliamentary elections which are to be held on November 1.
However, some analysts believe that other forces may stand behind that attack: “It may be the Islamic State, but we should not be limited to this version. It’s an attack on a very grand scale, which only the forces more powerful than IS are able to manage – and the attack should be beneficial to them. It is possible that the Islamic State was used as a proxy, as it has happened before. I think that the attack was planned by someone else,” says Enver Sezgin, Turkish columnist.
Meanwhile, Turkey is restless: a pro-Kurdish rally has escalated into clash with the police in Diyarbakir. A military operation against Kurdish separatist prompts activists to accuse authorities of aggravating the confrontation. The early parliamentary elections, which are planned for November 1, would be the second elections in the past 3 months. The ruling Justice and Development Party of Recep Tayyip Erdogan had unexpectedly lost its majority in the parliament in June elections, for the first time in 13 years – first of all, because of an unexpected success of pro-Kurdish forces.
The Day has asked Viacheslav SHVED, head of the Department of Asian and African History at the Institute of World History (National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine), to comment on who is behind this crime and how it will affect the parliamentary elections in Turkey on November 1.
“Today Turkey is crucial to the successful fight against terrorism in the Middle East, particularly against the Islamic State. Ankara is desperately struggling not only with them, but also with Kurdish armed forces, which chose to rescind the truce the Turkish government and moderate Kurdish leaders worked so long to establish. “The main objective of this horrible terrorist attack was to neutralize Turkey as one of the main components of the anti-terrorist struggle in the Middle East – both against IS and al-Assad’s regime, and against the extremist groups that attempt to undermine the internal stability of Turkey.
“I think that the Islamic State is most likely behind this terrorist attack. It is possible that they maintain the connection with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
“The terrorist attack in Ankara is very serious and meticulously prepared operation, carried out with an inhuman intent to shake Turkey and impose panic, doom and gloom in the country. After all, the election campaign is going in the country...
“This terrorist act is revenge for the consistent strengthening of cooperation with NATO and US by Ankara. They have provided substantial assistance to Turkey.”
