Are Turkey’s efforts to combat foreign fighters too late?
Since the June 28 airport attack in Istanbul, Turkey has been adopting measures against Salafist foreign terrorist fighters, but many observers wonder whether these anti-criminal measures aren't too late in dealing with root causes of Salafist terror.
Turkey has a long history of dealing with terror and has accumulated a wealth of experience coping with its complexities. But the June 28 attack against Istanbul Ataturk Airport that killed 45 people signaled that Turkey is now facing a new type of assault.
These attacks come from extremist Salafi ideology groups with a loose network of links to the Islamic State (IS). They aim to take hostages and use armed assaults and suicide bombings to target areas where foreigners congregate, such as airports, hotels and shopping and tourism centers. Such attacks have taken place before in Mumbai, India; Nairobi, Kenya; Jakarta, Indonesia; and most recently Dacca, Bangladesh.
Ankara is now busy thinking of ways to deal with these types of incursions. But instead of developing a comprehensive and integrated strategy of coping with religiously motivated radicalism, Turkey is approaching the issue solely from the perspective of anti-criminal security and combating terror acts.
Security sources told Al-Monitor after the June 28 airport attack that they believe Ankara is finally recognizing the seriousness of the issue. But when asked whether Ankara is too late, the sources remained mute.
