Airport Attack in Istanbul 2nd this year

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Passengers were moved outside and vehicle traffic blocked after a bomb attack at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul.

Crime scene investigators go to work after an attack at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul.

Children and their relatives embrace as they leave Ataturk airport in Istanbul.

Forensic police work the explosion site at Ataturk airport.

Turkey is vulnerable to growing terror attacks

The bombing at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport Tuesday is the latest in a wave of terror attacks in Turkey as it grapples with growing unrest spilling over from the civil war raging in neighboring Syria.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack at the airport, but Turkey has been a target of both Islamic State terrorists and Kurdish separatists during the past year.

The growing terrorist threat heightens the risk of destabilizing a NATO member and critical U.S. ally in the war against the Islamic State militants.

At least 36 killed in explosions at Istanbul airport

“Turkey has been very vulnerable to terrorism,” said Bulent Aliriza, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Islamic State, also called ISIS and ISIL, has launched major attacks in Turkey over the past year, as the government has cooperated more with the United States and the West in the fight against the Islamic State, which has gained a foothold in neighboring Iraq and Syria.

“Turkey has been involved in balancing act for a year now,” Aliriza said. “It is cooperating with the United States and trying to prevent ISIS from retaliating.”

Initially, Turkey considered the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad as a bigger threat than the Islamic State and was reluctant to cooperate closely with the United States, but more recently the government has helped U.S-led efforts.

Last year, Turkey allowed U.S. aircraft to fly from Incirlik air base to target militants in Iraq and Syria. Turkey has also increased efforts to prevent foreign fighters from moving through its border into Syria.

James Jeffrey, a former U.S. ambassador to Turkey, said Tuesday’s airport attack has the markings of an Islamic State operation. The target is international and suicide bombers were used in the attack.

“ISIS has had a campaign against Turkey for the past year,” Jeffrey said.

As the U.S.-led coalition has made headway in pushing the militants out of Iraq and Syria, the group has increasingly turned to terror attacks around the world. "ISIS is striking back," Jeffrey said.

Travelers wait outside the airport after the deadly attack. 

Travelers who survived from the suicide bomb attack cry as they leave the Turkey's largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, on Tuesday.

Ceiling tiles litter the pavement outside the terminal after two explosions rocked Istanbul's Ataturk Airport on Tuesday.

In January a suspected member of the Islamic State blew himself near the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, a major attraction in the city. The blast killed 10 people, including eight German tourists. The government identified the bomber as a Syrian.

Turkey has responded to the attacks by arresting Islamic State suspects and battling the Kurdish Workers’ Party, an armed separatist movement, in its strongholds.

The string of attacks have caused a big drop in tourism, a major source of revenue for Turkey. Many cruise ships that used to make port calls in Istanbul are bypassing the city.Ceiling tiles litter the pavement outside the terminal after two explosions rocked Istanbul's Ataturk Airport on Tuesday.

  Earlier this month, a car bomb targeted a police bus in Istanbul, killing seven officers and four civilians. The banned Kurdish Worker’s Party, which attempts to attack police and military targets, was suspected of carrying out the attack, according to media reports.

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