| Submit your comments on this article |
| Europe |
| Turkish attack may be the work of al-Qaeda |
| 2005-07-19 |
| Turkey has grown accustomed to terrorism. Saturday's devastating blast was the second within a fortnight to target package tour destinations on the Aegean coast. Like the UK, Turkey has experienced separatist bombings and suicidal Islamist onslaughts. There was some uncertainty about who to blame for the latest atrocity in Kusadasi. Most suspicions focused on Kurdish fighters, who last year relaunched their military campaign for an independent homeland in south-east Turkey. This month they claimed responsibility for an attack on nearby Cesme. A group calling itself the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons said it had planted the bomb. This breakaway faction came to attention when it attacked two hotels in Istanbul last August, killing two foreigners. The resurgence in Kurdish violence follows the collapse of a three-year ceasefire observed by the main Kurdish paramilitary organisation, the PKK or Kurdistan Workers party. The PKK blames the government for failing to enter talks on Kurdish devolution and for refusing to grant adequate terms of amnesty to its fighters. Since the insurrection began in 1984, 37,000 people have died. The PKK is alleged to have acquired explosives from Iraq and to have begun training suicide bombers. Britain's ambassador to Turkey, Sir Peter Westmacott, yesterday said the Turkish authorities were convinced the Kusadasi bombing was the work of the PKK. Nonetheless, the ferocity of the killings is more reminiscent of al-Qaida. Coming so soon after the London bombings, some suspect the Kusadasi bombing could be part of a fresh wave of coordinated attacks by Islamists against UK and western interests. Turkey - a predominantly Muslim state which is eager to join the EU - has been targeted by al-Qaida sympathisers several times. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |