Roundup: Surge in terror attacks overshadows Turkey's coalition talks

A flare-up in terror attacks has overwhelmed Turkey Monday ahead of a critical meeting between the country's leading political party leaders regarding the possible formation of a coalition government.

Five police officers and one soldier were killed in separate attacks in different provinces Monday by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants.

"Politicians demanding votes to propose solutions rather than a standstill have to convene immediately to solve Turkey's largest problem," Kemal Kilicdaroglu, chairman of the main opposition Republican Peoples' Party (CHP) said Monday.

His call came ahead of his crucial meeting with Prime Minister designate Ahmet Davutoglu on whether CHP and the Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu-led Justice and Development Party (AKP) should form a government.

During last month's election, the AKP lost the Parliament majority thereby the chance to form a government by itself after ruling Turkey for 13 years.

The CHP is willing to enter into a coalition with the AKP, however President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, former leader of the AKP, is reportedly opposed to such a deal.

Rather, Erdogan is pushing for snap elections, hoping that the AKP will regain its strength amid rising nationalistic sentiments against terrorism.

SNAP ELECTION LOOMS AMID TERROR EVENTS

Opposition CHP lawmaker Cetin Arik asked for a prompt formation of a coalition government against intensified terror attacks.

"Today is not a day for political reckoning," he said, stressing the importance of ending uncertainty in the country's governance system.

Recent polls suggest that the AKP may indeed gain a couple more points in early elections amid escalating terrorism, yet that may be insufficient to secure a single party government.

The polling company Andy-Ar concluded in a recent survey that AKP support increased to 42.8 percent from the 40.87 percent received in the June 7 elections. Another polling company Sonar put AKP voter support at 42.9 percent.

Experts are concerned about the AKP's motives.

"Combating terrorism is currently employed, so as to manipulate the electorate as snap elections loom," said political analyst Cafer Solgun.

Solgun believes the AKP benefited from the peace process with the PKK, launched in 2012, considering it wanted to consolidate its power rather than solve the Kurdish issue.

The process froze when the PKK did not lay down their arms nor withdraw from Turkish territory, contradicting its public declaration. The government additionally failed to deliver on its promises to grant extended rights to Kurds.

THE DEADLIEST DAY ON MONDAY

One soldier was killed and seven others wounded as militants of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) targeted a military helicopter with rocket launchers in the southeastern province of Sirnak.

The province also witnessed the murder of four police officers after a landmine planted by the PKK detonated. One policeman was seriously injured in the incident.

In Turkey's largest city of Istanbul, a police chief was killed when unidentified militants opened fire on a team of police officers examining the scene of an bomb attack executed overnight against a police station in the Sultanbeyli district.

The police unit was investigating a bomb-laden vehicle attack against the police station, wounding 10 people including three police officers Sunday.

On the very same day, two assailants opened fire at the United States Consulate building in Istanbul. No causalities were reported in the attack however.

Police captured a female suspect whom local media claim belongs to an outlawed Revolutionary People's Liberation Army/Front (DHKP/C), listed as a far-left militant organization.

INTELLIGENCE FAILURE QUESTIONED

Turkish terrorism experts question the failure of intelligence services leading to major incidents in metropolitan cities such as Istanbul.

"The main division in fighting terrorism is the intelligence apparatus," President of the Ankara-based think tank Research Center for Security Strategies (GÜSAM) Ercan Tastekin commented.

He lamented the fact that the government replaced veteran intelligence agents with inexperienced individuals in fighting terrorism.

"Our main vulnerability is rendering police intelligence as ineffective," he underscored.

Since the December 2013 corruption scandals implicated senior government officials, including four cabinet ministers, the government has reshuffled, dismissed and purged around a hundred thousand police officers, including veteran intelligence chiefs who have been fighting terrorism for decades.

Yavuz Baydar, a political observer, agreed with Tastekin's assessment, saying that discharing experienced officers from key posts in the police force and intelligence units has impaired Istanbul's security situation.

"Attacks and fighting in several suburbs along with armed clashes in front of the U.S. Consulate General must intensify our concern, as they are precursors of future attacks, in the event common sense does not prevail," he noted.

The surge in terror attacks followed Turkey's intensified crackdown on terrorist groups including PKK, DHKP/C and the Islamic State (IS). Law enforcement agencies have recently rounded up over 1000 suspects considered members of these organizations.

Turkey agreed to allow the United States military use of its airbases in southern and southeastern Turkey for armed air assaults on IS targets in Northern Syria.

Six American F-16 fighter jets arrived Sunday at Turkey's southern Incirlik Air Base to join the fight against IS. Endit