Page 4 - TURKRptDec22

1.0 Executive summary
On November 13, a bomb attack in Istiklal Avenue, the main pedestrian zone in Istanbul, killed six people and wounded 81. Turkey’s government is yet to come up with a logical explanation for the bomb attack. So far, no one has claimed responsibility and everyone is pointing the finger at their enemy.
Nevertheless, Turkey again turned into a land of violence following the bomb attack.
Turks are currently afraid of a repeat of the period of terror and violence that began with the June 2015 elections and ended with the introduction of the currently prevailing so-called “Turkish-type presidential system” in 2017.
Turkey’s government has been blaming the Kurdish PKK for the attack. It also on November 20 launched an air bombardment campaign in northern Syria and Iraq. It should be noted that this is not a military offensive on the ground – it is mainly for public relations purposes. The air space in the region is controlled by the US and Russia. Turkey is allowed to use ground forces in limited areas. The US-Russia duo also open the air space occasionally.
Also on November 20, a rocket hit Turkish police and military forces at Oncupinar border gate in Kilis province on the Syria border. Kurdish organisations were yet to claim responsibility.
On November 21, about a dozen rockets hit Karkamis town in Turkey’s Gaziantep province on the Syria border. Two civilians died, 19 were wounded. Kurdish organisations were yet to claim responsibility.
As of November 27, the current situation was calmer but the risk of a further escalation was clear.
Erdogan, meanwhile, on November 20 went to Qatar for the World Cup football finals. Turkey’s southern border was throughout his trip under bombardment. Perhaps, he went through Iran. It is interesting that Erdogan went to Indonesia for the G20 after the bomb attack and then went to watch the World Cup after Turkey launched the air strikes. The country is said to have entered another wrenching period of violence, but its president travels the world. Is the situation not serious enough for the cancellation of vacations?
When it comes to the Istanbul bombing, a woman, who is said to have accepted that she left the backpack that allegedly carried the bomb on a bench, is currently under arrest. In her testimony, she has reportedly said that she was not aware of the bomb and she thought that the backpack contained drugs.
She also allegedly stated in her testimony given in the police station and at the courthouse that she was in contact with PKK-affiliated organisations in northern Syria. The woman is not a Kurd and there are no Kurds among the dozens of suspects who were allegedly operating around her and who are currently under arrest or detention. Turkish government proxies suggest that the PKK established a proxy organisation of Arabs and that this bombing was the first operation of this group.
It should be noted that the Turkish state does not show a consensus on the PKK story. Some parts of the state mechanism have been criticising the government’s attempts to politicise the case via the mouths of some retired officials.
4 TURKEY Country Report December 2022 www.intellinews.com