A week after the attack on a busy shopping street in Istanbul in which six people died, not much is known about the perpetrator(s) and motives. Turkey has pointed out its enemies PKK and YPG, arrested 46 people and has already launched retaliatory attacks. NU.nl lists everything that happened.
De aanslag in de winkelstraat in Istanboel in het kort
- Zondagmiddag 13 november rond 16.20 uur (lokale tijd) ontplofte een bom in de Istiklalstraat van Istanboel.
- Dat is een erg drukke winkelstraat, vergelijkbaar met de Kalverstraat in Amsterdam.
- Zes mensen kwamen om het leven en 81 raakten gewond.
- De Turkse president Erdogan noemt de aanslag een lafhartige aanval.
- Er zijn veel beelden van de aanslag. Op een video is een vrouw te zien die vlak voor de knal iets achterlaat.
- In 2016 was de winkelstraat ook doelwit van een aanslag. Daarbij kwamen vijf mensen om het leven.
46 suspects arrested, including the bomber
Less than a day after the attack, Turkish police arrested 46 suspects. Among those arrested there would also be the woman who planted the bomb.
Five more suspects will be arrested in Bulgaria on Friday. They would have helped one of the culprits escape.
The Istanbul Police later also find the name of the prime suspect. The woman’s name is Ahlam Al Bashir and she is Syrian. The woman allegedly claimed to have been trained by Kurdish militants in Syria.
Turkey bets on PKK and YPG
According to Turkey, it is therefore clear that the perpetrators are from Syria. The Kurdish PKK is behind the explosion, according to the Turkish government. Whether that’s really the case is the question. Turkey is quick to point to its biggest enemy and has shown no evidence.
The PKK (and its derivative YPG) are parties of Kurdish workers who have been waging an armed struggle against the Turkish state for decades. The group is considered a terrorist organization by the European Union and NATO.
The PKK denies it in every tone. The group says it never targets civilians. If we look at history, this is generally true. Although there are known cases when civilians became victims of PKK attacks. The question remains: why would the PKK want to attack Istanbul in particular?
The attack order would have come from the Syrian city of Kobani
Turkish authorities say the order for the attack was given in the northern Syrian town of Kobani. The Syrian-Kurdish militia YPG, affiliated with the PKK, is located there. Turkey has conducted operations against the YPG in that city in the past.
Finally, a Turkish officer says that nothing can be ruled out. Nor that the arrested woman has ties to the Islamic State. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Turkey bombs villages in Syria in retaliation for the attack
However, Turkey decides to act. In the night between Saturday and Sunday, almost a week after the attack, Turkey carried out reprisal bombings. No less than 89 targets are bombed.
Turkey has already announced that it will carry out attacks on targets linked to the PKK and YPG. Villages and communities near Kobani have also been attacked. Turkey has received permission for the attacks from Russia, which controls the airspace over Syria.
According to reports, two densely populated villages in northern Syria were bombed in particular. Twelve militants were reportedly killed. Among them are six Kurdish fighters from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. And also six fighters from the regime’s camp in Syria.
Few certainties, but lots of action
From what emerges, therefore, there is still little certainty about the perpetrators of the attack and the motives.
However, it appears that Turkey has already concluded internally who is behind the attack. At least the Turks are acting on it. Before the investigations are concluded, Ankara has already retaliated against dozens of targets.
Is Turkey very good at investigations and is everything very clear to Erdogan or is there more? After all, the attack may also be a good excuse for Turkey to attack its longtime enemies in Syria. Time will tell what the truth is.
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