Terrifying. This is the only word that comes to mind when I think of the past two weeks. Not one, not two, but three terrorist attacks occurred globally from June 28 to July 3. In a matter of six days, 371 innocent civilians were killed. Three hundred and seventy-one.
On June 28, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria's (ISIS) first target was the Kemal Atatürk Airport, where three suicide bombers killed 45 people, and injured 238. I remember receiving the first notification about this, thinking, "Oh god, not again." But then the notifications continued to pour in and I realized that this was not a small attack. Why Turkey? I have been to the Eurasian nation twice and I have nothing but respect for the Turkish culture; the Turks are hospitable, polite, and will never let you leave their sight until you've eaten a sufficient amount of food.
However, there are several speculations as to why ISIS chose Turkey as a target. One reason could be the fact that Turkey apologized to Russia regarding the downing of a warplane back in November. Another rationale for the horrific assault could be the fact that Turkey and Israel completed reconciliation agreements in the days before the attack.
I think Turkey was chosen for its accessibility. Where can we cause the most amount of damage using the smallest amount of resources? This was not a whim of the moment kind of attack. Weapons had to be created, attackers had to be informed and deployed, and a plan had to be put in place. We cannot blame this on a peace negotiation, let alone any political treaty. All we can blame is the radical group that claims their loyalty to "Islam," yet breaks the fast of the holiest month of the year to perform a sin that no amount of fasting can forgive. Let's make this clear: terrorists are not Muslims. They use the religion as a scare tactic and as a means of recruitment, and it is an insult to classify them as the same religion of the people that they attack.
The terror that they were able to achieve was not just isolated to Turkey. Both Bangladesh and Iraq experienced similar, yet unique, onslaughts that gave the citizens of the world no time to mourn like they did after the attacks in Paris, Brussels, and Orlando.
In Dhaka, Bangladesh, six ISIS militants took nearly 60 civilians hostage at bakery in an affluent district. During the aftermath, we discovered 23 were killed, including two police officers and three American students (out of the three, only one was an American national). During the aftermath of the Dhaka attack, a suicide truck bomb exploded in a shopping district in Baghdad, Iraq, killing over 290 men, women, and children.
Awareness. Propaganda. Fear. Each attack followed these three words, putting emphasis on an individual word during an individual attack. The Istanbul bombings reminded us that ISIS has not diminished and will not diminish any time soon. The Gulshan hostage situation attempted to spread radical beliefs by quizzing hostages on the word of the Quran and punishing incorrect answers with death. Finally, the Baghdad bombing showed the world just how powerful ISIS is, and they are capable of killing as many people as they wish.
If you're not scared, you should be. Me? I'm terrified.
