Turkey has once again borne witness to another painful terrorist attack. According to the first news coming out, there are 10 dead and 15 wounded as a result of a suicide bomb attack in Sultanahmet, the heart of historic Istanbul. That the dead are mostly foreign tourists is a point of interest.
Within the last six months, Turkey has faced three suicide bomb attacks similar to this one. First in Diyarbakır, then in Suruç and later in Ankara, suicide bombers detonated themselves and took many people's lives. The first of these attacks occurred just before the June 7 elections at a Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) rally and ended up increasing the HDP's votes. In the aftermath of the Suruç attack on July 20, the PKK restarted its armed struggle against the state and has engaged in many bloody terrorist attacks since then. The attack in front of the Ankara train station that targeted a pro-HDP peace rally also occurred during the run-up to the Nov. 1 elections. The actor behind all three attacks was DAESH. However, in the aftermath of these three terror attacks, HDP representatives blamed the present leaders, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu foremost among them, with slogans like "murderous state." They placed propaganda that Erdoğan and Davutoğlu support DAESH used by the PKK front and center.
This time in the Sultanahmet attack, no announcement came from the HDP targeting Erdoğan directly or the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) as a result of this terror attack. The first reason that comes to mind for the lack of such a response from the HDP is undoubtedly that Turkey is not in an electoral period at the moment. However, there is a much more important reason.
The PKK has been engaged in a violent struggle against the Turkish state with the purpose of carrying its acquisitions in northern Syria to Turkey's southeast. Just as it has been unable to succeed in this struggle, the PKK has also lost the chance to engage in politics by way of the HDP. Support for the PKK from Kurds has been on a steady decline. In fact, the PKK has been unable to receive a positive response for its calls to rebels from among Kurds. Bese Hozat and Cemil Bayık, co-leaders of the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), an umbrella organization that includes the PKK, have made calls for their militants to engage in sensational terror incidents not just in eastern Turkey, but also in metropolises like Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir.
One reason for the HDP's silence in the aftermath of the Sultanahmet attack has been this call for action on the part of the KCK. In a sense, the HDP has waited for the perpetrator of this terror attack to come to light and not bitterly blame the state as in past terror attacks.
Before four hours had passed after the terror attack in Sultanahmet, Erdoğan made a statement about the incident and said that the suicide bomber was Syrian. He said, "There is no country other than Turkey struggling more firmly against DAESH and paying the price for it."
It is certain that this terror attack will bring new debates on Turkey's struggle against DAESH. In the 5th Stated Meeting of the Foundation for Political Economic and Social Research's (SETA) Insight Turkey magazine in Washington last week, what our American friends expressed quite clearly is that leading a much more active struggle against DAESH is what will make Turkey be of primary value to the U.S.
Ignoring the PKK's quest for sovereignty in the region with the claim that it is helpful, powerful and useful in the fight against DAESH, however, is cause for serious concern for Ankara. More importantly, Ankara thinks that it is being left alone in its fight against DAESH and that it will become even more isolated as it takes greater steps against the organization. When considered from a U.S. perspective, DAESH is perceived as a local problem and local actors are expected to take responsibility. However, this perspective only postpones and amplifies the problem.
Turkey is attempting to continue an active struggle against DAESH within the framework of its strategic means and limitations. Ankara regards DAESH's widening of its existence and influence as a serious threat to Turkey's strategic interests. However, Ankara also feels discomfort due to the international community's ambivalent attitude toward the PKK, which it has fought against, and wants to take up the responsibility of fighting against DAESH together with regional and global actors. It is very important that Turkey's allies take note of the difference between these two points and lead their relations accordingly.
[Daily Sabah, January 14, 2016]
