On June 28, three armed suicide bombers’ attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, the 11th busiest airport in the world, killed 42 people and injured over 200 others.
The terrorists arrived at the airport in a taxi on Tuesday evening and began firing guns at travelers inside the terminal. When police arrived and began to fire back, the attackers detonated their suicide vests that they had strapped onto themselves. Two of them were inside the building, while the other was outside in the parking lot.
The airport was closed for several hours afterwards, but was reopened the next day for incoming and outgoing flights.
This event marked the eighth suicide bombing in Turkey this year, which have killed a total of at least 140 people. Although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, there is evidence that points to ISIS’ involvement.
First of all, the target, an international airport located in Turkey, was likely to have been chosen by the extremist group due to its agendas.
Turkey has a long history of terrorist attacks, including previous ones by ISIS. Last October, an ISIS bombing in Turkey’s capital city of Ankara, killed more than 100 people. Afterwards, Turkey began to take part in offensives against the extremist group and is currently helping the United States in coalitions against the terrorist group, allowing American planes to conduct air raids from its territory.
Secondly, the “inghimasi” method of attack -in which the attacker starts off shooting and then uses explosives- used in the airport attack is typical of previous ISIS attacks. In fact, it is almost the same method used in the Brussels airport bombing that occurred in March, as well as the attacks on Paris in November. The “inghimasi” method,, is becoming more frequently used in terrorist attacks.
However, the most condemning evidence is that Turkish officials have reason to believe that the terrorists came from the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa, which is located in Syria. With them, they brought the vests and explosives that were used in the airport attack.
Although the evidence is not entirely conclusive, there is strong reason to believe that the group, which has gained a large amount of exposure in the past few years due to their large-scale attacks, was behind the planning and provision of weapons.
The White House stated, “Our deepest condolences go out to the families and loved ones of those killed, and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured. We remain steadfast in our support for Turkey, our NATO ally and partner, along with all of our friends and allies around the world, as we continue to confront the threat of terrorism.”
We can only hope that these devastating acts of extremist groups will soon come to an end, as the results that come from it are clearly detrimental to both the country that is attacked and its allies.
