A year of terror and heartbreak in Turkey
A year of terror and heartbreak in Turkey
Turkey witnessed at least 30 attacks in 2016, with scores killed in bombings and shootings by Islamic State group and Kurdish militants.
4 min read
Most attacks on Turkey have been claimed by Kurdish militants of IS [Getty]
New Year's deadly assault on an Istanbul nightclub follows a long string of attacks in Turkey over the past year.
The country witnessed some of its bloodiest days in recent years, with attacks by Islamic State group and Kurdish militants killing scores of people. It also saw Turkish troops enter Syrian soil and battling the IS and Syrian-Kurdish militias close to Turkey's border.
Here's a look at the most significant attacks in Turkey over the past year:
12 January, Istanbul: Suicide bomber kills 12 German tourists in historic district. Authorities say the attacker was linked the Islamic State group.
17 February, Ankara: A suicide car bomb apparently targeting military personnel kills 29 people in an attack claimed by the TAK - Kurdish Freedom Falcons - a new offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party.
13 March, Ankara: A Kurdish woman blows herself up in a car at a busy transport hub, killing 37 people in an attack claimed by the TAK.
The country witnessed some of its bloodiest days in recent years, with attacks by Islamic State group and Kurdish militants killing scores of people. It also saw Turkish troops enter Syrian soil and battling the IS and Syrian-Kurdish militias close to Turkey's border.
Here's a look at the most significant attacks in Turkey over the past year:
12 January, Istanbul: Suicide bomber kills 12 German tourists in historic district. Authorities say the attacker was linked the Islamic State group.
17 February, Ankara: A suicide car bomb apparently targeting military personnel kills 29 people in an attack claimed by the TAK - Kurdish Freedom Falcons - a new offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party.
13 March, Ankara: A Kurdish woman blows herself up in a car at a busy transport hub, killing 37 people in an attack claimed by the TAK.
19 March, Istanbul: Turkish suicide bomber kills five people in the city's main pedestrian shopping street, popular with tourists, Istiklal. Turkish officials say bomber was linked to IS.
31 March, Diyarbakir: Car bomb kills seven police officers and wounds 27 people, including 13 police.
12 April, Gaziantep: Syrian journalist dies from gunshot wounds from attack claimed by IS.
27 April, Bursa: Female suicide bomber wounds 13 in a historic district of Turkey's fourth largest city.
1 May, Gaziantep: Car bomb at the entrance of a police station kills two officers, 22 other people wounded.
10 May, Diyarbakir: Car bomb strikes police vehicle carrying officers escorting seven detained Kurdish militants, killing three people and wounding 45 others.
12 May, Istanbul: Car bomb targeting a military garrison explodes during rush hour, wounding eight people.
7 June, Istanbul: Car bomb hits a riot police bus during the morning rush hour, killing 11 people and wounding 36. A Kurdish militant group claims responsibility.
8 June, Midyat: Kurdish suicide car bomber kills five people and wounds 51, including 23 civilians, outside a police headquarters near Turkey-Syria border.
17 June, Istanbul: Car bomb explodes as a police vehicle passes by, killing 11 people.
28 June, Istanbul's Ataturk Airport: Three suicide bombers armed with assault rifles storm airport, killing 44 people and wounding nearly 150.
15 July: Around 270 people die in military coup attempt.
17 August, Van: Car bombing at a police station kills a police officer and two civilians; 53 civilians and 20 police officers wounded.
18 August, Elazig: Car bomb at police headquarters kills at least five people and wounds more than 140.
20 August, Gaziantep: Suicide bomber - possibly as young as 12 - kills at least 51 people at an outdoor Kurdish wedding party. IS suspected of directing attack.
26 August, Cizre: Kurdish suicide bomber rams an explosives-laden truck into a police checkpoint, killing at least 11 officers and wounding 78 other people.
12 September, Van: Car bomb wounds 50 people outside ruling party's municipal headquarters.
6 October, Istanbul: Motorcycle bomb explodes near a police station, wounding at least 10 people.
8 October, Ankara: Two suicide bombers blow themselves up after refusing to surrender to police. No one else was hurt.
9 October, Hakkari province: Kurdish militants detonate car bomb outside a military checkpoint in the southeast, killing 10 soldiers and eight civilians.
10 October, Dicle: A top local official of the ruling Justice and Development Party is killed when attackers open fire at a gas station he owned.
4 November, Diyarbakir: Car bomb near a riot-police bus kills at least 11 people, including two police officers. A Kurdish militant group and IS both claim responsibility.
24 November, Adana: Car bomb targeting a government building kills at least two people and wounds 33 others.
10 December, Istanbul: A double bomb attack outside soccer stadium kills 44 people and wounds 149 believed to have been carried out by Kurdish militants.
17 December, Kayseri province: Suicide car bomber targeting a public bus transporting off-duty soldiers kills 13 troops and wounds 56 other people.
19 December, Ankara: A Turkish riot policeman assassinates Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov at a photo exhibition.
January 1, 2017, Istanbul. An assailant opens fire at a crowded nightclub during New Year's celebrations. Istanbul's governor says the attack killed at least 39 people and wounded 69 others.
![Activists arrested while protesting US military support for Israel. [Photo by Kristine Jones, courtesy of Adalah Justice Project]](/sites/default/files/styles/image_684x385/public/2024-11/Photo%20Credit%20Kristine%20Jones%20-%20Arrests.JPG?h=2142ea21&itok=-zJER9f0)
