22 dead in Turkey wedding suicide bomb
At least 50 people are killed and dozens more wounded latein an attack possibly carried out by a suicide bomber on a wedding party in the Turkish city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border. A senior security official says the device used was the same type as those employed in the July 2015 suicide attack in the border town of Suruc and the October 2015 suicide bombing of a rally of pro-Kurdish activists in Ankara. Reports say the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber aged between 12 and 14. Turkey’s foreign minister:
Daesh should be completely cleansed from our borders and we are ready to do what it takes for that.
Suspected ISIS suicide bomber kills 30
A suspected Islamic State suicide bomber kills at least 30 people, mostly young students, in an attack on a Turkish town near the Syrian border. Witness:
I was behind a banner so I couldn’t see the attacker, but we understand it was a suicide attack. I was thrown to the ground…I jumped up and began running before I even realised I was hurt.
Kidnap attempt inside Turkey
Militants from the group make an abduction attempt on Abu Issa, the commander of a Kobani-based group, and his son in the southeastern town of Urfa 20 miles inside the border. Abu Issa and his son escape when one of the third-party people smugglers used by ISIS to transport people and weapons into Syria panics after spotting Turkish soldiers. Abu Issa is shot and wounded during the attempt. Turkey has stated that ISIS does not have a presence within the country.
Turkey provides ISIS recruits
At least 1,000 Turks join the Islamic State over a period of time. The extremist group especially attracts disgruntled, disadvantaged youths with the enticement of money. Turkish fighters also identify more favorably with ISIS governance versus Turkish governance. A rickety district known as Hacibayram that is a tourist attraction serves as a recruitment center for potential fighters to Syria. Stein:
There are clearly recruitment centers being set up in Ankara and elsewhere in Turkey, but the government doesn’t seem to care. It seems their hatred for Bashar al-Assad and their overly nuanced view of what radical Islam is has led to a very short and narrow-sighted policy that has serious implications.
The United States places considerable pressure on President Recept Tayyip Erdogan to better police the Turkey border connecting with Syria. Turkey refuses to take measures countering ISIS, upsetting American officials.