Terror in Turkey
Islamist terrorists stormed Istanbul’s main international airport last week, killing 45 people and wounding more than 200. Passengers fled in panic as three men dressed in black and armed with machine guns burst into Atatürk airport, spraying the departure lounge and arrivals hall with bullets. Within a few minutes all three detonated suicide vests, killing themselves and dozens more. The Turkish authorities blamed Isis for the massacre, and President Erdogan called for closer international collaboration in the “joint fight” against global terrorism.
The attack was one of several blamed on Isis in the closing days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. At least 250 people were killed in a bomb blast in central Baghdad, and 20 people, mostly expatriates, died when militants seized a café in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka ( see page 9).
What the editorials said
The “savage” attack in Istanbul is just the latest reminder of how Turkey has placed itself on the “front line” in the war against Isis, said The Times. By working with the Us-led coalition against the militants, it has invited their anger. Already this year, Istanbul has seen two suicide bombings; nationwide, more than 250 have died in attacks since last June. So why has the West offered Turkey so little support, asked the Daily Sabah of Istanbul. All we’ve had from our allies is “ignorant criticism” of our supposedly repressive anti-terrorism laws.
The trouble is that Erdogan makes such “a problematic partner”, said The Observer. Until now he has opposed – or at the very least failed to support – the fight against Isis; he has cracked down on the press; and he is currently trying to “railroad through” measures that would increase his “already considerable powers”. If only he showed “more respect” for democracy, he might receive “a more active response” in his “hour of need”.