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Was the Istanbul attack an act of retaliation for Turkey-Israel accord ?
[Jerusalem Post] Tuesday's suspected ISIS attack tack on the Ataturk Airport was likely preplanned and unrelated to the rapprochement between Turkey and Israel and Russia, a senior Turkish official and other terrorism experts told The Jerusalem Post Wednesday.However, there is evidence Islamic State was angry about the repairing of relations between Turkey, Israel and Russia, publishing a statement in the latest edition of its official newsletter. A senior Turkish official told the Post "the main reason behind the Islamic State attacks is Turkey’s role in the international coalition [against the group]." Asked if the attack could be meant as a response to Turkey’s diplomatic moves to repair relations with Israel and Russia, he responded, "An attack of this scale takes planning. But we are not ruling out the fact that the terrorists may have picked this date to challenge Turkey’s diplomatic efforts." Rafael Green, director of the Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor of MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institute), told the Post, "It is very unlikely the deal with Israel had anything to do with it." "As in the past, Islamic State does not claim responsibility for attacks in Turkey," he added. Islamic State criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which is similar criticism that came from al-Qaida and others, may point to a motive being Turkey’s support for Free Syrian Army and other Islamist factions in Syria. Posted by: Besoeker 2016-06-30 |
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