Istanbul rocked by bomb attacks

Robert Tait
London Guardian
Sunday, July 28, 2008

Turkey’s political landscape was plunged further into turmoil last night when two bomb blasts rocked a packed pedestrian square in Istanbul, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than 150, in what officials called a “terrorist” attack.

In the deadliest bomb attacks in the country for almost five years, the two explosions detonated within minutes of each other and a few metres apart, set off by devices in rubbish bins in a busy shopping street in Gungoren, a working-class neighbourhood in the west of the city.

The prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan, today cancelled his weekly cabinet meeting in Ankara and traveled to Turkey’s largest city to visit the site of the bombs.

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The blasts underscored the divisions cutting through the country as a power struggle between secularists and the Islamist-leaning government comes to a head.

The ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) faces possible closure by the constitutional court for alleged anti-secularism in a hearing that begins today. Separately, 86 militant secularists were indicted last week for allegedly plotting to unseat the AKP in a violent coup.

The first blast happened at about 10pm local time near a telephone booth, causing a hail of flying glass and debris that left several people dead or wounded.

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3 Responses to “Istanbul rocked by bomb attacks”

1. Andre Louise Messier Says:
   July 28th, 2008 at 9:50 am

   I got the message.This is all very difficult thing to dill with and flashing images like that will allways provoke a responce. I insulted you and for that I’m sorry .But clearly it is “real”.

2. bean Says:
   July 28th, 2008 at 2:06 pm

   How lovely that the CIA can bring terrorism to all parts of the globe. Then go to WAR with itself… What a happy nightmare of collectivism:

   “..paramilitary death squads against Kurds who started an armed struggle in 1984. In November 1990, six months after our interview. Ecevit repeated publicly that a clandestine paramilitary force existed in Turkey. Three weeks later, the head of the Turkish Army Operations Department and the commander of the Special Forces issued a statement that there was a special NATO organization in Turkey called the Special Warfare Department, whose mission was “to organize resistance in the case of a communist occupation.” They said its secret member “patriots” were not connected to the counterguerrillas. The special NATO organization was, of course. the stay-behind operation the Americans had started.”

   Yep, just some more intellegence “strategy of tension”. Problem – reaction – tyranny solution.

3. John Miller Says:
   July 28th, 2008 at 5:04 pm

   AXIS OF EVIL= United States, United Kingdom, Israel

   http://www.rense.com/general82/ffor.htm