ERBIL, KRI, Iraq (North Press) – The event in Istanbul on November 13 has caused a wide scale debate being described by some as a play and an occurrence by others that could be invested in for political ends in the country which is going to hold “difficult” presidential elections where gains made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wane.
The setting and timing of the explosion that hit Taksim Square in Istanbul has caused debate and skepticism in Turkish policies and Middle Eastern circles.
Ankara said the captured woman came from Kobani, the epic Syrian Kurdish predominant city whose name is linked to an intrepid resistance against the Islamic State Organization (ISIS). However, parties to which the finger of accusation is pointed to denied categorically such accusation.
Incident
Late in the evening of November 13, an explosion hit Istiklal Street in Istanbul a worldwide famous tourist destination where surveillance cameras are widely employed and security remain on duty.
Six people were reported dead in the explosion and some other 80 ones were reported injured including foreigners.
Hours later, Turkish security authorities said they had arrested a suspect in connection with the explosion. Ahlam al-Bashir is a woman who said to entered the country (Turkey) accompanying another person four months ago.
The Turkish authorities claim the Syrian woman is attached to Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). She was trained and later received instructions from Kobani entering Turkey from Afrin, according to the Turkish version of the story.
Since 2018, Afrin is controlled by Turkish forces and the affiliated armed factions of Syrian National Army (SNA),
Denial
The party which Ankara accuses to be behind the explosion has categorically denied the accusation.
Since the Turkish version of the story makes no difference between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and PKK, and a Syrian woman from a Syrian city was accused linked to both, the SDF denied the accusation categorically.
SDF Commander in Chief, Mazloum Abdi, said in a tweet: “We affirm that our forces have no connection with the Istanbul explosion. We reject claims pointing the finger of accusation to our forces.”
Abdi extended his heartily-felt condolences to the families of the victims and the Turkish people wishing recovery for the wounded.
In turn, the PKK said in a statement: “We have never ever targeted civilians directly. We cannot accept acts against civilians. This is an evil plan hatched by the ruling authorities in Turkey.”
In the same arena, Peoples Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish-led backbone force of the SDF, said the “Turkish government carried out the explosion and weaved a fictitious scenario and an unrealistic one.”
In a statement, it said the Turkish remarks regarding the transfer of the accused woman from Afrin to carry out the operation is merely “a play premeditated by the Justice and Development [Party] and Erdogan.”
Opinions
However, by delving into the core of the rare occurrence in the pulsing heart of Turkey; Istanbul, the densely populated city has always been scene to conflicting parties for control, as it happened in the municipalities elections in 2019 in which Ekrem Imamoglu of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) overcame ruling AKP’s Binali Yildirim.
The explosion came two days after a request filed by the Turkish judiciary to imprison Ekrem Imamoglu, the Mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, for a year and three months on charges of “offending” members of the Supreme Election Council.
These developments follow a week where Kemal Kılıcdaroglu, leader of the CHP and a potential contender to the elections was accused of “publishing fake news.”
Regarding the recently debatable passed law on circulating fake news, Kilicdaroglu could face a prison term of three years and eventually preclude him from running elections.
Amid this status of the affair, Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) which is accused of supporting PKK by the Turkish authorities and upon which its leaders were arrested, could tilt the balance in the coming elections.
As Erdogan faces strikes and internal issues, he has sought to export such issues outside the country namely to the southern border with Syria threatening time and again to carry out a new operation into northeast Syria. However, up to now, Erdogan has failed to garner international approval.
Such an objection did not preclude Turkish forces and affiliated armed opposition factions of the Syrian National Army (SNA) to shell the wanted areas nearly on daily bases using every kind of weapons.
The predominant idea is that the approach of parliamentarian and presidential elections in 2023 means that every side wants to draw supporters. However, Erdogan could not be able to get that unless gains nationalists which depend largely on igniting Kurdish- Turkish conflict.