IS terror reaches Turkey
There are increasing indications that IS fighters are behind the suicide bomb attack in Suruç, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Tuesday. Ankara must finally join forces with the Kurds against the IS, some commentators urge. Others praise the AKP government's efforts against IS terror.
Reach out to PKK
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan must bite the bullet and finally start working together with the banned Kurdish People's Party (PKK), the conservative daily La Vanguardia urges: "The PKK has renounced violence and its struggle for an independent Turkish Kurdistan. It wants a political solution, an autonomous region or federal state. There can be no doubt that it is a far more reliable dialogue partner than the caliph of Al-Raqqah Governorate. The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) are also the only ground troops that - backed by US air strikes - have managed to drive back the IS in Syria. Erdoğan must assume his responsibility within Nato and, as the EU's preferred ally, lead the fight against the IS. Turkey would benefit from his doing so."
Kurds are key in fight against IS
Ankara must finally recognise that it has been fighting the wrong people, writes the centre-left Tages-Anzeiger: "The biggest enemy is always anyone else - just not the Islamic State. Only recently the government sent more troops to the Syrian border. There has been talk of an invasion. A change of course? Not at all. The government fears the Kurds - who are getting stronger, have gained control over large swathes of northern Syria and may strive for independence in Turkey too - more than it fears the IS. That is why Ankara is preparing for war. Erdoğan refuses to accept that the Kurds are key in the fight against the IS. … The Turkish president can only be successful together with the Kurds - in the fight against the IS and within his own country."
AKP not responsible for bombing
The Turkish opposition and anti-government media condemned Turkey's ruling AKP party on Tuesday, saying its Syria policy was partly to blame for the suicide bomb attack. The pro-government daily Sabah says this is unfair and praises the government's stance against terror: "President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has harshly condemned the terrorism and its perpetrators. … In a democratic regime there is no place for an organisation like the [banned Kurdish] PKK. A democracy rejects a gang of murderers like the IS and sees its existence as something dangerous. … In this situation Turkey's true power lies in society's commitment to democracy. That will guarantee that the country, which has saved almost two million [Syrian] refugees, remains stable and peaceful."
No one is safe from IS terror
Turkey and all Europe should be on high alert after the Suruç bombing, stresses the liberal daily Dagens Nyheter: "No matter what the logic is behind Turkey's lax stance towards IS, Monday's events have shown that the Turkish leadership misjudged the situation. … 'This attack is aimed at Turkey,' Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Tuesday. The country has now been forced to realise that it is no exception within the region. The IS won't leave Turkey in peace. But the same clearly goes for all Europe - particularly if you see the attack in connection with the Bosnian intelligence service's suspicion that a jihadist training camp is being set up in the north of the country. This is a nightmare the EU must take seriously."