The continuing threat of terrorism in Turkey
TURKEY | Friday, 8 September 2006 | Views [1687] | Comments [4]
Turkey has experienced a week of renewed attacks on tourist areas, bringing the simmering conflict between the Turkish government and separatist Kurdish forces into the international spotlight once again. The recent wave of attacks began on 27 August, with explosions occurring in quick succession in the capital, Istanbul, and in the resort city of Marmaris, the latter including ten British tourists among the wounded. Another attack on 28 August, on this occasion in the popular southern resort city of Antalya, left three people dead and dozens injured. Further bombings on 3 and 5 September - in the south eastern town of Catak in Van Province and in the western city of Izmir, respectively - suggest that this latest wave of attacks has yet to end.
Responsibility for most of these attacks has been claimed by the militant Kurdistan Liberation Hawks (Teyrbazen Azadiya Kurdistan or TAK, also known as the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons), a radical offshoot of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan or PKK). Both the TAK and the PKK oppose the Turkish government’s policy of rejecting any notion of Kurdish nationalism within its borders, which until relatively recently even included the banning of the Kurdish language. The PKK has had mixed results in its long-running campaign of bombings and attacks on Turkish government and military targets as the group attempts to obtain some form of independence for the Kurdish people. The TAK, on the other hand, has only emerged over the past few years and has pursued a different strategy to achieve the same aims. In a statement on its website following the recent Istanbul and Marmaris attacks, it warned that “Turkey is not a safe country; tourists should not come to Turkey.” The TAK has made the Turkish tourism industry its primary target.
This is not the first time that the TAK has targeted tourist destinations in Turkey. The group carried out a number of attacks in 2005, with the most prominent occurring in July last year in the towns of Cesme and Kusadasi, both of which are located on the Aegean coast. These attacks left tourists injured, with the Kusadasi incident killing two foreign tourists. More recently, on 25 June 2006, the TAK detonated an explosive device at the Manavgat waterfall, about 100km east of Antalya, killing four people and injuring 25. This was also followed by a statement warning international tourists to stay away from Turkey. The latest attacks in Istanbul, Marmaris and Antalya have certainly added weight to this warning.
The tourism industry is an important economic sector in Turkey – it was worth over US$14 billion last year alone. Since the 1980s, the industry has grown to the extent that it is now the second largest source of national revenue. The industry has therefore played a prominent role in Turkey’s recent economic development and growth. Turkey has also become an increasingly popular destination for European tourists, and the country is keen to portray a positive image within the European community to aid its efforts to join the European Union (EU). This has not been lost on the TAK, which has selected its targets for maximum effect, as Istanbul, Marmaris and Antalya are all major tourist destinations. Targeting the tourism industry is an ideal tactic for the TAK, as it offers the group the opportunity to damage Turkey’s economic stability and international image, while simultaneously providing an effective manner in which to alert the world to the plight and oppression of the Kurdish people. Moreover, tourist resorts and popular tourist destinations are soft targets, as they are often easy to access and difficult to guard.
Further bombings in the near future are therefore likely. Turkish security forces, however, have generally been unsuccessful – firstly, in preventing attacks and, secondly, in tracking down TAK and PKK militants. The Turkish government has responded to these latest and earlier attacks with military offensives in the eastern parts of the country, where the majority of the Kurdish population resides and where the militants are based. At the same time, security has been stepped up at major tourist resorts and areas, with an increased presence of security personnel and vehicle checkpoints. However, these reactions are certainly not new, and the recent successful bombings attest to the shortcomings of the government’s efforts. As a result, Turkey’s tourism industry will most likely struggle in the coming months as international travellers seek destinations that appear less risky.
While the risk of more attacks is a real one, especially at popular tourist destinations, the vast majority of visitors to Turkey should remain unaffected. So far it seems that the TAK is more concerned with harming the Turkish tourist industry rather than tourists themselves. Indeed, over 20.5 million people visited Turkey in 2005 and the attacks in 2006 have affected only a few dozen foreign travellers. However, tourists should be aware that attacks can occur at any time and may increase in scale. Vigilance is therefore advised, as is avoiding crowded areas and visits to popular sites during peak times, since both may be targets for possible attacks.
Tags: misadventures, turkey
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