ON MARCH 18th, as part of an agreement to stem the influx of refugees from the Middle East, the European Union declared Turkey to be a “safe” country for asylum seekers—a necessary precondition for sending migrants back there under international law. The following day, a suicide bomber killed at least four people, all of them foreigners, on Istanbul’s most popular pedestrian shopping street (pictured). Turkey has now endured five big terror attacks since October, at a cost of nearly 200 lives. Residents of Turkey would therefore disagree with the EU’s assessment: the country no longer feels safe for anyone.
No group has stepped forward to claim responsibility for the latest bombing. The day after the attack, officials identified a Turkish member of Islamic State (IS) as the perpetrator. IS has been quick to take credit for atrocities elsewhere, from Jakarta to San Bernardino. But it has yet to do so for any attack by its sympathisers in Turkey, including a double bombing that killed 102 people in October.
Distressingly, the list of other possible suspects has grown longer over the past year. In neighbouring Syria, Turkish-backed...Continue reading
Souce: Europe http://ift.tt/22wNRSC
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