Turkish nationals are in a fragile state after the bloody affairs of this month have shaken the country.
On the evening of Saturday December 10, two consecutive explosions occurred in the busy city of Istanbul, Turkey, which collectively caused the death of over 40 people and the injury of hundreds.
The first of the attacks was deemed to be a car bombing near the new Vodafone Arena in Beşiktaş. The explosives were targeted at a riot police van after a football match. The civilian death toll was lower as most of the fans had already left the stadium. The second attack was suspected to be a suicide bomb near Maçka Park, also known as Demokrasi Parkı, taking place less than a minute after the first explosion.
Following that night, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement: “We have once again witnessed tonight in Istanbul the ugly face of terror which tramples on every value and decency”. Since the dreadful attacks there have been numerous speculations on those responsible. The deputy prime minister of Turkey Numan Kurtulmuş in particular told CNN Turk that he believed the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) to be behind the attacks. Less than a week after the bombings, several newspapers including Turkish Hürriyet Daily News revealed the suicide bomber to be 20-year-old Burak Yavuz.
On Saturday December 17, Turkey experienced yet another traumatic occurrence as a suspected car bombing attack took place in Kayseri, central Turkey, killing around 13 off-duty soldiers aboard a bus. Yeni Şafak News reported that a university student was suspected to have had some connection to the car used in the attack.
According to BBC UK News on the day of the attack, seven people had been arrested on suspected association with the blast. Again there was the same speculation of the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) involvement as President Erdogan believes that the blast was arranged by the “separatist terrorist organisation”, the PKK.
On Monday December 19, just a few days after the Kayseri attack, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, 62, was fatally shot by 22-year-old Turkish police officer whilst giving a speech at a photo exhibition event in Ankara. The officer who was dressed in a suit was captured on video and in a professional picture taken by Associated Press photographer Burhan Ozbilici who was at the front of the scene.
The Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas had shot the ambassador mid-speech for what was believed to be a backlash against the Russian military’s participation in the Syrian civil war. Officer Altintas shouted in Turkish: “Don’t forget Aleppo. Don’t forget Syria. Unless our towns are secure, you won’t enjoy security. Only death can take me from here. Everyone who is involved in this suffering will pay a price”. Then he called out “Allahu Akbar” as he shot. Police later killed the assailant on the same night.
According to Anadolu news agency, Erdogan said in the aftermath of the murder, “I believe this is an attack on the Turkish people, and also a clear provocation to Turkish-Russian relations”. Russian president Vladimir Putin also believes that the killing of Karlov was plotted to break Russian and Turkish ties. He stated that killing was a provocation spoiling the “Syrian peace process” planned by Turkey, Russia and Iran.