It was not difficult to read the message behind the deadly Feb. 17 suicide bombing in Ankara: Terror can strike Turkey anywhere, at any time.
The blast shook the heart of Ankara during rush hour, killing 28 people and injuring 61, some badly. Five shuttle buses carrying military personnel were hit by an explosives-laden vehicle as the convoy stopped at a traffic light. Twenty-seven of the victims have been identified as military personnel. While this was not the deadliest terrorist attack in Turkey’s history, it was without a doubt the most spectacular, as the blast occurred only a few hundred yards from the military headquarters, parliament and other government offices.
The attack is likely backlash from the violence in Syria, which has contributed to clashes between Kurdish militants and Turkish security forces in southeastern Turkey. It is also an outcome of Turkey’s policies regarding Russia, the United States and the United Nations — and above all, toward the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG).
Most recently, Syrian Kurds with Russian air support have made significant advances north of Aleppo, changing the power balance in Syria against Turkey. The YPG has also raised the hackles of the Turkish government by capturing the strategic Menagh air base from opposition elements, triggering intense Turkish shelling of the Syrian town of Azaz.
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