Within the first five days of 2017, Turkey has been targeted by terrorists twice.
In the first seventy five minutes--the first hour and fifteen minutes--of 2017, the Reina nightclub in Istanbul was ravaged when a man opened fire on nearly 700 patrons ringing in the new year. Initial reports were that at least 39 people were killed, sixteen of whom were not Turkish citizens, and at least 69 people were being treated at hospitals. Subsequently, it was confirmed that the lone-gunman toting an AK-47, indeed, killed 39 people from 14 different countries outside of Turkey and 71 more were injured. This attack has been claimed by the Islamic State terrorist organization (ISIS) via Twitter and the militant has not been apprehended.
On January 5, 2017, in Izmir, a city southwest of Istanbul, a police officer and courthouse staff member were killed when a car bomb was detonated. Nine others were hospitalized with injuries, CNN reported the day of the attack. No one has claimed this attack yet, however, two attackers, according to Izmir Governor, Erol Ayyildiz, condemned the militant group Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). It is believed that a larger attack was planned based on weapons discovered at the scene.
Turkey has been hit by terror attacks in the past and with the current tumultuous state of the Middle East, attacks are not surprising. What these attacks do highlight, is the strife within Turkey itself and their relaxed surveillance of possible terrorists.
But what do these attacks broker for the future of 2017? It’s the first week of the year, and already Turkey has been attacked twice, there has been a shooter in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and prison breaks in Brazil and the Philippines. The year is already starting off crazy. In 2016 alone, there were 1,274 Islamic terror attacks in 50 countries, 11,774 people were killed, and 14,303 people were injured. These figures don’t factor in terror attacks carried out by non-Islamic groups because I was unable to find a comprehensive number.
I fear that 2017 may be even worse. A ceasefire has been called in Syria, yet its neighbor Turkey is still being targeted. Western influence in the Middle East has had lasting ramifications that can be seen in the rise of ISIS and other terror sects like Al Qaeda and the Taliban. The attacks within the first few days of 2017 do not bode well for the future of the year. We will have to wait and see what the remainder of the year brings, and the upcoming Trump presidency is sure to make it interesting.
