"Why isn’t Turkey getting the same sympathy as Paris after attack?" [View all]

[DetlefK]

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/06/why-isnt-turkey-getting-the-same-sympathy-as-paris-after-attack/comments/#disqus

The threat faced by Turkey from the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) is real. Major attacks in Turkey attributed to ISIS have killed some 150 people in the past 12 months. Rocket attacks from ISIS-held territory into Turkish border towns are frequent. ISIS did not officially claim responsibility for Tuesday’s attack, but the Turkish authorities pointed the finger.

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The early criticism leveled against Turkey has centered on the inadequacies of its security setup. These critics have ignored the mounting challenges Ankara faces across the country in having to contend with the threat of political and Islamist extremism.

Turkey has also been combating the growing insurgency waged by armed Kurdish separatist groups such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons. Over 70 people were killed in major attacks by these groups in the first six months of 2016. The almost daily clashes and increased security activity by Turkish forces in the southeast of the country are already straining their capacity.

The U.K. and U.S. designate these groups as terrorists, but there is little international support, or even sympathy, for Turkey in its attempts to deal with the threat of both Kurdish and Islamist attacks.

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While Britain has voted to withdraw from the EU, Turkey has been strengthening its relationship with regional partners like Israel and Egypt, as well as trying to repair relations with Russia following the downing of a Russian jet last year.

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Turkey understands the need for cooperation in helping to strengthen efforts against extremist attacks, but despite being a NATO member, it appears that many in Europe and the West are reluctant to afford Turkey the same opportunity. And yet this is a time for unity in the face of a transnational ideology.

The attacks in Paris and Brussels drew countries and peoples across Europe together in solidarity. Turkey, a regular victim of violence, does not need to be scapegoated, ostracized or criticized in the aftermath of this attack. It needs our support.





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1. Erdogan's government indirectly supported ISIS in its early days by giving ISIS free reign to pass through Turkey and use it for recruiting.

2. Erdogan's government indirectly supported ISIS by not stopping the oil-smuggle. It only stopped when Russia started bombing the smugglers.

3. Erdogan has intentionally opened a new war with the Kurds, long after the Kurds had started fighting ISIS. Turkey is fighting kurdish forces in Syria right now, indirectly supporting islamic extremists, to prevent the Kurds from gaining political leverage.

4. Turkey did nothing, absolutely NOTHING, when a (supposed) ISIS-bombing killed turkish volunteers in Suruc. No arrests, no investigations, NOTHING.

5. Turkey is trying to repair its relationship with Israel after ruining it by needlessly messing with Israel in the "Mavi Marmara"-incident.

6. Turkey is trying to repair its relationship with Russia after ruining it by shooting down a russian warplane that was bombing turkmen rebels in Syria that were secretly allies of Turkey.

7. Turkey understands the need for cooperation except when Erdogan is trying to blackmail the EU to use the refugee-crisis for political concessions. And except when satirists and journalists get thrown into jail for criticizing Erdogan.

8. That "transnational ideology" that the author somehow forgets to name is "Saudi-funded sunni extremism".

9. Turkey, the "regular victim of violence", is waging an actual war against the Kurds.




Don't cuddle up to terrorists and then beg for sympathy when they come back to bomb you.