The death toll in a pair of suicide bombings targeting a peace rally in the Turkish capital of Ankara has risen to 128, with another 160 people still hospitalized in the wake of the attacks. 65 of those wounded are still in intensive car after two suicide bombers detonated in the crowd.
The rally was organized by the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), calling for an end to the decades-long Turkish war against the separatist PKK. Some HDP leaders accused supporters of the pro-war ruling party of being behind the attack, and there’s been no claim of responsibility from anyone.
Adding to the sense of anger in the streets, police attacked a group of mourners who arrived at the site after the bombing, accusing them of “chanting anti-government slogans.” Thousands eventually turned out, with the police trying to chase them off the streets.
The HDP is considered a “pro-minority” party in Turkish politics, and has dominated the polls in the Kurdish southeast. Their strong showing was a big part of why this year’s national election ended without anyone winning a clear majority, and the party has faced growing condemnation from the nationalist parties, with the ruling AKP accusing them of being de-facto part of the PKK because of their support in the Kurdish regions. The next election is scheduled for November.
Something smells about this. Why would ISIS or the PKK attack this rally? It makes about as much sense as the Syrian Govt carrying out a poison gas attack in Damascus just when UN Inspectors were close by and we all know what really happened there.
I wonder who could be behind this bombing?
I always ask who benefits from something like this. It's hard to see the government benefitting, although there is always a "legitimist" reaction to such events, with people rallying around the government in office even if they don't like it very much. The US has no interest in toppling Erdogan. The Kurds certainly do, although I find it hard to beleive that they would set off such a massive bomb under their own supporters. ISIS no doubt wants to see Erdogan gone, since he's fighting them but if ISIS can move so freely all the way to Ankara, then it can also hit targets in Russia or Crimea. Last but not (yet) least, Putin is probably annoyed at Turkey's refusal to grant him overfly rights, thereby highlighting the uselsssness of his naval base, and his Chechen henchmen are more than capable of doing something like this.
"ISIS no doubt wants to see Erdogan gone, since he's fighting them"
Erdogan's efforts against ISIS have been tepid at best. It doesn't feel right for them to have been involved here. It's doesn't take a genius to see who's really responsible for this.