These Attacks Happened Days Before Brussels — But You Probably Didn't Hear About Them

[sarisataka]

These 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]

1. I did hear about it, I will miss Al Jazeera

[eppur_se_muova]

2. And Turkey then attacked the Kurds in reprisal ...

maybe there's a reason that didn't elicit much sympathy ?

[sarisataka]

7. As I recall

France attacked Syria after the Paris attack.

[eppur_se_muova]

10. France was bombing ISIS positions in Syria long before the attacks ...

... 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]

3. Turks are not white Christians. Unfortunately, it makes a difference.

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]

4. Maybe because Turkish authorities imposed media restrictions after that attack

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]

11. Erdogan says it was committed by Kurdish rebels ... Kurds deny responsibility.

Ergogan's behavior deserves very cynical scrutiny.

[oberliner]

12. Ankara blast: Kurdish group TAK claims bombing

The Kurdish militant group TAK says it carried out Sunday's deadly attack in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

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]

14. "A hardline splinter group of the PKK" ...

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]

5. this was all over the news. i even commented on them.

[KamaAina]

6. I did hear about them

here on DU. The M$M? Not so much.

[sarisataka]

8. I wonder if the MSM

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]

9. Most of them do.

Madrid and London as well.

[oberliner]

13. They were actually not similar at all

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]

15. Ah, I see your post

where TAK claimed responsibility. I believe it is safe to assume that TAK and IS are not collaborating...

[Blue_In_AK]

16. I was keenly aware of the Turkish attacks

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]

17. The inevitable "Your Mourning is Hypocritical" post

I guess it's evening on the day of a terrorist attack...

[melman]

18. I absolutely heard about them