Two terrorist attacks have rocked Turkey in just 12 days. The first was when a police officer affiliated to Daesh killed Russia’s ambassador in an art gallery in Ankara. The second was on New Year’s Eve, when a terrorist dressed as Santa Claus opened fire in a nightclub in Istanbul. Last year was bloody due to many terrorist crimes that targeted Turkey more than any other country. But why?
There are countries, such as Jordan, whose highly sophisticated security and intelligence systems make them difficult targets for terrorists. However, Daesh has succeeded in infiltrating Jordan recently.
Turkey was not a target for terrorist organizations, such as Al-Qaeda and Daesh, two years ago. The focus of its security apparatus was mainly on monitoring other hostile organizations such as Kurdish separatist groups.
Terrorism affiliated with Islamist extremist organizations has stricken Turkey recently. In January 2015, a pregnant Chechen woman blew herself up among visitors in Hagia Sophia mosque. This was followed by other attacks, including a horrible assault on Ataturk Airport by three Daesh fighters in which 190 were killed and injured.
A similar figure of causalities was reported in a terrorist bombing at a stadium on the outskirts of Istanbul. Terrorist attacks in the last few months have targeted wedding parties, police stations, malls and tourist areas.
Why does Daesh target Turkey in particular? Is it directed by regional regimes hostile to Turkey, such as Iran? Or has Daesh decided to react to Turkey’s government, which has launched military operations against its positions in Syria and Iraq?
Turkey is similar to Pakistan a decade ago. During most years of the Syrian crisis, Turkey turned a blind eye to people going through its territory to fight in Syria. Pakistan was the gateway to fighters heading to Afghanistan following the launch of the war against Al-Qaeda.
Turkey became the main passage through which fighters from the Free Syrian Army (FSA), as well as those who joined extremist groups such as Al-Nusra Front and Daesh, crossed into Syria. However, it has become a target since Ankara tightened controls on monitoring crossings on the border with Syria. Foreign fighters were also denied access, especially after European countries demanded that Turkey deny European citizens access to conflict zones.
Most Arab countries followed suit and made similar requests. Hence Turkey has been put under multiple pressures — Western, Arab and Russian — to close its borders to militant activities. Ankara accepted denying access to foreign fighters, and wanted to differentiate between fighters affiliated with Syrian groups fighting for their country, and those affiliated with terrorist groups.
Now Turkey, the gate of the Syrian revolution, is paying dearly as it has become the main target of the most dangerous terrorist organizations in the world: Daesh and Al-Nusra Front. The latter is believed to be still strong on the ground and a constant threat to the country.
Turkey is likely to do what other countries in similar situations did. The Bosnian government, for example, expelled foreign fighters and unarmed extremists, most of whom were Arab, after they became a security and political burden. It also shut down their organizations and associations. Pakistan cracked down on foreign fighters and handed them over to their countries’ governments. It also imposed visas and expelled extremist groups.
Turkish authorities are expected to pay attention to extremist groups that have found refuge in the country after escaping from Egypt, Tunisia and the Gulf. Ankara needs to cement cooperation with regional security regimes, after it protested in the past for thinking they were lenient with groups that politically oppose it.
• Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is a veteran columnist. He is the former general manager of the Al Arabiya News Channel, and former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat, where this article was originally published.
There are countries, such as Jordan, whose highly sophisticated security and intelligence systems make them difficult targets for terrorists. However, Daesh has succeeded in infiltrating Jordan recently.
Turkey was not a target for terrorist organizations, such as Al-Qaeda and Daesh, two years ago. The focus of its security apparatus was mainly on monitoring other hostile organizations such as Kurdish separatist groups.
Terrorism affiliated with Islamist extremist organizations has stricken Turkey recently. In January 2015, a pregnant Chechen woman blew herself up among visitors in Hagia Sophia mosque. This was followed by other attacks, including a horrible assault on Ataturk Airport by three Daesh fighters in which 190 were killed and injured.
A similar figure of causalities was reported in a terrorist bombing at a stadium on the outskirts of Istanbul. Terrorist attacks in the last few months have targeted wedding parties, police stations, malls and tourist areas.
Why does Daesh target Turkey in particular? Is it directed by regional regimes hostile to Turkey, such as Iran? Or has Daesh decided to react to Turkey’s government, which has launched military operations against its positions in Syria and Iraq?
Turkey is similar to Pakistan a decade ago. During most years of the Syrian crisis, Turkey turned a blind eye to people going through its territory to fight in Syria. Pakistan was the gateway to fighters heading to Afghanistan following the launch of the war against Al-Qaeda.
Turkey became the main passage through which fighters from the Free Syrian Army (FSA), as well as those who joined extremist groups such as Al-Nusra Front and Daesh, crossed into Syria. However, it has become a target since Ankara tightened controls on monitoring crossings on the border with Syria. Foreign fighters were also denied access, especially after European countries demanded that Turkey deny European citizens access to conflict zones.
Most Arab countries followed suit and made similar requests. Hence Turkey has been put under multiple pressures — Western, Arab and Russian — to close its borders to militant activities. Ankara accepted denying access to foreign fighters, and wanted to differentiate between fighters affiliated with Syrian groups fighting for their country, and those affiliated with terrorist groups.
Now Turkey, the gate of the Syrian revolution, is paying dearly as it has become the main target of the most dangerous terrorist organizations in the world: Daesh and Al-Nusra Front. The latter is believed to be still strong on the ground and a constant threat to the country.
Turkey is likely to do what other countries in similar situations did. The Bosnian government, for example, expelled foreign fighters and unarmed extremists, most of whom were Arab, after they became a security and political burden. It also shut down their organizations and associations. Pakistan cracked down on foreign fighters and handed them over to their countries’ governments. It also imposed visas and expelled extremist groups.
Turkish authorities are expected to pay attention to extremist groups that have found refuge in the country after escaping from Egypt, Tunisia and the Gulf. Ankara needs to cement cooperation with regional security regimes, after it protested in the past for thinking they were lenient with groups that politically oppose it.
• Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is a veteran columnist. He is the former general manager of the Al Arabiya News Channel, and former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat, where this article was originally published.
