Analysis: Istanbul attack reveals Erdogan’s crumbling sense of stability
A terrorist bombing on Tuesday in the heart of Istanbul’s major tourism district that killed 10 people and left 15 injured showed the fragility of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security promises.
“It has become apparent how important stability is to our nation,” Erdogan said in November, during the country’s national election.
By targeting the vibrant area of the former Ottoman Empire, the alleged Islamic State suicide bomber, Saudi- born Nabil Fadli, sought to further decimate Turkey’s struggling tourism industry.
The terrorist attack jolted the state, prompting a government ordered media blackout. Turkey initially reported that the suicide bomber was a Syrian.
The bombing was likely a retaliatory move by Islamic State following Turkey’s crackdown on rising jihadism within its territory and along the 500-mile border it shares with Syria, as well as its shared border with Iraq.
Just last week Erdogan announced that Turkish forces killed 18 members of Islamic State after the terrorists sought to enter a training camp in the Bashiqa region of northern Iraq.