Turkey on high alert amid rising terror threats

Faced with rising terror threats from both ethnic and religious armed militant groups, Turkey increased its security measures nationwide and intensified police presence in Istanbul, the nation's business capital.

Police units amplified security measures in Istanbul's Taksim Square ahead of the ceremony to commemorate the creation of Turkey's police department.

The square was cordoned off as police snipers positioned themselves atop nearby building rooftops.

The increased security measures spring from a Percussion bomb which detonated under an overpass in Istanbul's Mecidiykoy district Saturday evening, slightly injuring three people.

Percussion bombs make a loud noise and cause panic but rarely inflict serious damage or injury.

Istanbul's main two attractive locations, Sultanahmet square and Istiklal Street, were exposed to suicide bombing attacks this year by suspected Islamic State (IS) militants.

In January, an IS suicide bomber killed 11 German tourists and injured 15 others in an attack on Istanbul's old city and historic Sultanahmet Square.

In March, another IS suicide bomber attacked Istiklal beside Taksim square, killing three Israelis and one Iranian, whilst injuring 39 others.

On Saturday, the United States Embassy in Turkey issued a critical emergency message to its American citizens residing in Turkey, advising them to practice extreme caution in public places.

Citing credible threats against tourist areas, the embassy said U.S. citizens should especially avoid public squares and docks in Istanbul and Antalya, two major attractive tourist destinations.

The U.S. warning comes a day following Israel's warning of an imminent risk of attacks against Turkey, calling on all Israeli citizens residing in Turkey to evacuate the country as soon as possible.

"There are immediate risks of attacks being carried out in the country, and we stress the threat applies to all tourism sites in Turkey," Israel said.

Istanbul will be hosting the 13th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit from April 14th until April 15th which will be attended by heads of state from over 30 countries.

According to terrorism expert Suat Oren from the Ankara-based Research Center for Security Strategies (GUSAM), the IS has not only used Turkey as a transit hub but also as a breeding ground where they have settled and expanded.

"IS's Turkish front not only carries out terrorism acts in Turkey but also actively engages in the war in Syria," he said.

Oren said IS Turkish militants serve as guides to foreign members of their group, using refugee camps as their private backyards.

PKK KURDISH MILITANCY

In addition to the IS threat, Turkey has also been facing a rise of Kurdish militancy waged by the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), an outlawed organization listed as a terrorist group in Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

The PKK resumed violent measures against the Turkish government after the collapse of the peace process in the summer of 2015.

Turkish security forces have been fighting the PKK in towns and cities in the southeast of Turkey since December.

"We have resorted to a comprehensive and intense armed confrontation against terror groups who have been attacking Turkey since June 7," Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday.

Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, described on Sunday the battle against terror as the country's most crucial one in its history, clarifying that there are no good and bad terrorists.

Over 350 members from Turkey's security forces were killed during clashes against the PKK since last summer, compared with at least ten times more than that from the PKK militants who were killed according to the Turkish president.

Two suicide bombing vehicle attacks in the Turkish capital in February and March killed over 60 people including civilians.

The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), an PKK affiliate, claimed responsibility for both attacks.

ECONOMIC COST RISING

Mehmet Ali Sahin, Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy chairman, regrets the toll terrorism has taken on the nation's economy.

"After all, one of objectives of terror groups is to disrupt daily routine, cause chaos and instability, and deal a blow to the economy," he explained, stressing that businesses must not stop working.

However, that maybe easier said than done given the decline in tourists visiting Turkey.

Tourism is major contributor to Turkey's economy, generating 31.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2015, with a total of 36.24 million foreign arrivals to Turkey in 2015.

Numbers of foreign arrivals to Turkey fell by 10.3 percent in February compared with the same period last year, according to the Turkish government's latest data.

Occupancy rates in Istanbul's hotels dropped by 21.4 percent, declining to 47.5 percent compared with the same month last year.

Before the cabinet meeting on Monday, Turkish Minister of Agriculture, Faruk Celik, said on Sunday that the government is eager to revive regional tourism, trade as well as industrial potential once the terrorism threat is completely eliminated.

He also said Turkey's government has taken a number of measures to repair the country's terror-hit southeastern region.

Source: XINHUA