On Tuesday, Turkey was once again hit by terror. This time, Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport was the target and no fewer than 41 persons have been reported dead with over 230 injured. This is coming just two weeks after the foundations of the United States were shaken by a record mass shooting; still, terror has no respect for borders.
According to reports, two gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at a security checkpoint outside the airport. They then detonated their explosives leading to two major explosions. A third attacker who was close to the parking lot also detonated his suicide vest around the same time.
The Ataturk Airport in Istanbul is Europe’s third busiest airport and the eleventh busiest in the world. In 2015, about 62 million passengers passed through the airport. It is billed for closure after the massive Istanbul New Airport – planned to be the largest in the world – opens in the Arnavutkoy district.
Just as terror attacks increase across the world, the calls for a united stance to deal with the situation continue to rise as well. The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while reacting to the incident, called for a unified international fight against terrorism.
“Make no mistake: For terrorist organizations, there is no difference between Istanbul and London, Ankara and Berlin, Izmir and Chicago or Antalya and Rome,” said Erdogan.
“Unless all governments and the entire mankind join forces in the fight against terrorism, much worse things than what we fear to imagine today will come true,” CNN reported.
In a timeline of terror attacks in Turkey provided by the Cable News Network (CNN), this attack makes it the 8th in 2016; three out of which occurred in June alone. So far this year, more than 148 people have lost their lives to terror attacks in Turkey. Other attacks in June include:
June 8, 2016: Three people were killed by a car bomb in south-eastern Turkish city of Midyat.
June 7, 2016: Seven Police officers and four civilians were killed in a car bomb attack targeting a Police bus.
