Turkey has been hit again by another wave of terrorism. On June 7, a busload of police officers was hit on a busy street in Istanbul’s tourism center. The next day, while the Turks were still reeling from the trauma of the Istanbul bombing, the country woke to the news of another attack that targeted the security headquarters in Midyat, once a symbol of Syriac identity and still a popular tourism spot with its historic old town and numerous Eastern churches.

The Istanbul terror attack was claimed three days later on June 10 by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), considered a breakaway faction of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). For those closely monitoring the PKK, the claim is rubbish. It is a Middle Eastern tradition that whenever an organization does not want to claim responsibility for a controversial action so as not to endanger its credibility with certain influential countries or individuals, responsibility is taken by so-called breakaway elements. TAK is no exception to this rule.

The Istanbul attack is the 10th attributed to TAK since the name was first heard in 2007, the fifth since the collapse of the peace talks between Ankara and the PKK, and the third in 2016.

Now, everybody is realizing that these terror attacks will not be the last in the deadly cycle of violence gripping Turkey. Outrage against terrorism is coupled with helplessness in Istanbul and Midyat. The outrage is natural, but the feeling of helplessness is dangerous in Turkey's polarized society.