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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThese Attacks Happened Days Before Brussels — But You Probably Didn't Hear About Them
The city of Brussels was rocked by explosions Tuesday morning, leaving at least 34 people dead and 170 others injured. Nobody claimed responsibility for the attacks in the immediate aftermath, but they came just days after Paris massacre suspect Salah Abdeslam was apprehended in the Molenbeek district of Brussels. The most recent spasm of European violence has already sent ripples of grief in media and Facebook feeds around the world.
Just days before all this, however, there were actually not one, but two bombings you may not have heard about both in Turkey.
On March 13, a car bomb in the capital city of Ankara exploded leaving at least 37people dead and more than 100 injured, according to the Turkish health ministry. On Saturday, an ISIS-connected suicide bomber killed at least four in a busy tourist area in Istanbul.
But people are asking, where is the show of global solidarity for Ankara that there was for Paris, and there is right now for Brussels?
Or, in the words of Facebook user and Ankara resident James Taylor on the day his city was attacked: "You were Charlie, you were Paris. Will you be Ankara?"
http://mic.com/articles/138546/just-days-before-belgium-here-s-the-terrorist-attack-you-didn-t-hear-about#.qqe97rnLQ
hollysmom
(5,946 posts)eppur_se_muova
(36,262 posts)maybe there's a reason that didn't elicit much sympathy ?
sarisataka
(18,648 posts)France attacked Syria after the Paris attack.
eppur_se_muova
(36,262 posts)... and they did carry out larger raids immediately afterwards.
Of course, as in all attempts to fight wars from the air, many civilians were killed. No country with an air force even seems to object to this on principle anymore.
But it has to be said that with the Kurds being the most effective fighting force against ISIS on the ground, it's hard to condone attacking the Kurds for a bombing which may have been carried out by ISIS, especially after Kurdish peace marches were similarly attacked. It is hard to overlook the fact that blaming the Kurds plays into Erdogan's goal of denying the Kurds any part in negotiations, and Erdogan's past behavior makes almost any suspicion of his motives credible: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/18/ankara-bombing-blaming-kurds-suits-erdogans-political-ends
pampango
(24,692 posts)To give ISIS some 'credit' they are "equal opportunity terrorists". They attack white, black or brown, Christian, Muslim or atheists without 'discrimination'. I'm sure they know they get a bigger reaction if they kill white Christians.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)And the Turkish broadcasting authority issued on a ban on covering details of the explosion.
And social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter, were blocked in Turkey immediately after the attack.
And the attack was committed by Kurdish rebels, and Turkey immediately launched massive air strikes and killed a greater number of Kurds than were killed in the initial attack.
eppur_se_muova
(36,262 posts)Ergogan's behavior deserves very cynical scrutiny.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)In an online statement it said the attack, which killed 37 people, was in revenge for military operations in the mainly Kurdish south-east.
The TAK, an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), had already said it was behind another bombing in Ankara last month.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35829231
For what that is worth.
eppur_se_muova
(36,262 posts)good enough to bomb all the Kurds, PKK, TAK, or not.
Of course, this tit-for-tat has been going on for about as long as the conflict over Palestine. Not surprising people tuned it out.
MariaThinks
(2,495 posts)KamaAina
(78,249 posts)here on DU. The M$M? Not so much.
sarisataka
(18,648 posts)Will pick up on the similarities between the Ankara and Brussels attacks. They have similar MO's, selecting transportation hubs as targets.
My analytical side finds that very interesting.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Madrid and London as well.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)The Ankara attack was via a car bomb which exploded near a bus. The group put out a statement that they did not mean to hit civilians and were instead aiming for security forces.
The Brussels attack was via a suicide bomber at an American Airlines airport departure area and a subway station.
sarisataka
(18,648 posts)where TAK claimed responsibility. I believe it is safe to assume that TAK and IS are not collaborating...
Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)because my husband and I had thought about vacationing there at one time. It's getting tough to plan trips abroad. I used to want to see Afghanistan, but I can see that's never going to happen.
alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)I guess it's evening on the day of a terrorist attack...