Holly Williams Reports: Turkey and Russia Attempt to Ease Tensions After Jet Shootdown (VIDEO)

Well, they're not completely "easing tensions," according to the Wall Street Journal, "Russia Takes Aim at Turkish Economy Amid Fighter-Jet Spat."

But check out Holly Williams, reporting last night, for CBS Evening News:

Turkey’s Warning Shot

At the Wall Street Journal, "Putin may be testing NATO’s resolve, and the Turks need U.S. support":

A pair of Turkish F-16s shot down a Russian Su-24 over Turkish airspace on Tuesday, and Russian President Vladimir Putin called it a “stab in the back” that would have “serious consequences for Russian-Turkish relations.” This is what we mean when we say the last months of the Obama Administration will be the most dangerous since the end of the Cold War.

Turkish military officials said the Russian pilots ignored 10 warnings over five minutes to return to Syrian airspace before their plane was shot down. That rings true given Ankara’s warnings against previous intrusions. Russian planes twice violated Turkish airspace in early October, incidents NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said did “not look like an accident.” Around the same time a Russian MiG-29 locked its radar on a pair of Turkish jets patrolling the Syrian border for more than four minutes. Next a Russian-made drone entered Turkish airspace and was shot down. Moscow denies it was one of theirs.

More recently, the Turks summoned Russia’s ambassador to Ankara after an attack on ethnic Turkmen in Syria. “It was stressed that the Russian side’s actions were not a fight against terror, but they bombed civilian Turkmen villages and this could lead to serious consequences,” according to Turkey’s foreign ministry. This fits the Russian pattern of bombing enemies of the Assad regime except Islamic State—a useful reminder that Mr. Putin is not a fit partner in the coalition to fight ISIS.

The larger question is why Mr. Putin would risk provoking Turkey, with its powerful military and NATO ties. Part of the answer may lie with Moscow’s alliance with Iran and its Shiite Muslim proxies in Damascus and Beirut, who see themselves as competing with the Sunni Turks for regional dominance.

Mr. Putin may also be testing NATO cohesion. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is an impulsive leader who has alienated his allies with his autocratic instincts and Islamist sympathies. If Russia continues to prick Turkey and NATO fails to support Ankara, it will expose the hollowness of NATO’s Article 5 collective-defense obligations.

The Obama Administration failed to invoke Article 5 on France’s behalf after the Paris massacre. And on Tuesday President Obama said that while Turkey had the right to defend its airspace, his priority is to “discourage any escalation.” But what if Mr. Putin retaliates against Turkey? Mr. Obama should have said that the U.S. will stand with its NATO partner...

Good luck with that.

More at that top link.

Turkey's 9/11 Divides Nation

At USA Today, "Turkish PM says ISIL is focus of bombing probe":

The Islamic State group is the “No. 1 priority” in the investigation into twin bombings that killed nearly 100 people in the Turkish capital, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Monday.

The premier told private broadcaster NTV that authorities were close to identifying the two suicide bombers who carried out the attacks in Ankara on Saturday. He declined to name the organization behind them, but said the focus is on the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.

Yeni Safak, a newspaper close to the government, on Monday reported that investigators were testing DNA samples from the families of 20 Turks they believe belong to ISIL.

The Hurriyet newspaper said the type of device and explosives used in Saturday's attacks were the same as those used in a suicide bombing the government says ISIL committed near the town of Suruc, which borders Syria, that killed 33 peace activists in July...

Also, "Thousands of mourners gather near scene of Ankara's bombings":

ANKARA — Thousands of mourners flooded the streets of Turkey's capital on Sunday, a day after twin explosions killed at least 95 people and injured hundreds of others in the deadliest terrorist assault ever carried out on Turkish soil.

The mood was tense during the largely peaceful gathering, as demonstrators alternated between grief for lost loved ones and anger towards Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government, which many believe could have done more to prevent the attacks.

The crowd chanted slogans including “we want justice” and “Erdogan is a thief and a murderer,” as some mourners carried photographs of victims. Riot police and water canon vehicles surrounded the rally, but remained in the distance.

On Sunday, the government, which denies any involvement in the blasts, said it has appointed two chief civil inspectors and two chief police inspectors to investigate the bombings, which also wounded at least 246 people, according to the prime minister’s office.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu suggested that the attack could have been carried out by the extremist Islamic State, Kurdish militants or radical leftist groups.

Earlier in the morning, police used teargas to stop people bearing carnations in memory of those who lost their lives from entering the site of the blasts. About 70 people were eventually allowed to enter the cordoned-off area outside the main train station, the Associated Press reported. The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) said in a statement that police attacked its leaders and members as they tried to leave flowers at the scene.

Saturday's attack, during a peace rally near Ankara's central train station, sent shockwaves across the country. The blasts, which came just seconds apart shortly after 10 a.m., happened when hundreds of demonstrators — many of them supporters of the HDP — had gathered to protest escalating violence between Turkish security forces and Kurdish separatist insurgents.

“This is as close as it gets to being Turkeys 9/11,” said Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish research program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “But whereas most countries would unite after a massacre like this, Turkey has become so polarized between supporters and opponents of Mr. Erdogan that almost immediately the reaction has been a blame game in which  supporters of the government blame the (Kurdish rebels) and opponents blame the government.”

After declaring three days of mourning and calling for national unity against terrorism, the prime minister exchanged barbs with HDP leader Selahattin Demirtas over responsibility for the violence...

More.

Video Shows Immediate Aftermath of Terrorist Suicide Bombings in Ankara, Turkey

Following-up from earlier, "Scores Dead in Suicide Bombings at Peace March in Turkish Capital (VIDEO)."

The death toll's up to 95 now.

And watch here, "Warning! Graphic Video of Suicide Bombing in Turkey."

More at the Daily Beast, "Who’s Behind the Horrific Bombing that Hit Ankara?"

And at the Independent UK, "Ankara terror attack: Turkey censors media coverage of bombings as Twitter and Facebook 'blocked'."

Scores Dead in Suicide Bombings at Peace March in Turkish Capital (VIDEO)

From Color Me Red, on Twitter, "Massacre in Turkey...at least 86 reported dead after bombing."

More at Weasel Zippers, "Video of terrorist bombing in Turkey," and Reuters, "Video captures moment of deadly Turkey blast."

And at the Telegraph UK, "Turkey bomb massacre kills 86 and injures over 180 at pro-Kurdish peace rally":

Warning: The video in this article shows the moment a bomb explodes at the peace rally killing at least 86 people and injuring over 180. Contains distressing scenes.

A double attack believed to be the work of suicide bombers on a march in the Turkish capital Ankara yesterday killed 86 people and injured more than 180 others in the worst terrorist outrage in the country’s modern history.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which was captured in dramatic video footage taken by a cameraman filming the start of the demonstration. A group of young activists doing a traditional Turkish dance flinch and duck as an sheet of orange flame punctures the sky behind them.

They had been setting off on a protest backed by the pro-Kurdish HDP political party and leftist secular groups calling for the government to make peace with the Kurdish guerrilla group, the PKK.

One of the men who can be seen in the video, Goksel Ilgin, told The Sunday Telegraph how the massive blast erupted right behind him.

“We started dancing the ‘halay’ dance as we were cheerful and determined to promote peace,” said Mr Goksin, who can be seen at the far right of the picture wearing a blue cardigan and jeans. “Then we heard a sudden blast about 15 metres behind us.

"After the explosion I was overcome by shock. I fell on my knees, and couldn't believe what I was seeing. Then 15 seconds later there was a second blast. We saw flags and pieces of bodies flying into the air.

"People were injured and running around unconsciously. It took ten to fifteen minutes for someone to slap me to get over the shock. She told me to walk fast and scream. I did and started to feel better.

"But I will never forget the smell of burned human flesh. Even after I left the scene, I couldn't help feeling it. So my friends made me smell some flowers and perfume to stop it. It took a few hours to smell the air again. I am OK now but I will never forget it."

Keep reading.

Also, at the Wall Street Journal, "Pair of Explosions in Turkey’s Capital Kill at Least 86 People."

Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Blamed as Bomb Blast Kills at Least 15 Turkish Policemen (VIDEO)

Reuters is reporting at least 15 police officers were killed in the blast. See, "Bombs kill 15 Turkish police officers as jets strike PKK in Iraq."

Plus, at the New York Times, "Turkey Says Troops Pursued Fighters From Kurdistan Workers' Party Into Iraq."

And watch, at Euronews, "14 police officers killed by PKK bomb attack in eastern Turkey," and France 24, "Turkey: Ankara confirms 'short-term' incursion into Iraq after violent clashes with PKK."

BONUS: From Ed Driscoll, at Instapundit, "BREAKING: TURKEY EXPLODES IN POLITICAL VIOLENCE AS OBAMA ALLY ERDOGAN UNLEASHES SHOCK TROOPS."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban Says Migrant Crisis Is Germany's Problem

Hey don't come. Turkey's a good country. Stay in Turkey. We're trying to preserve our culture here, and don't even mention the Islamist invasion.

At WSJ, "Chaos at Budapest train station as migrants rush trains":

Hundreds of migrants seeking to reach Germany rushed trains at Hungary’s main international rail station on Thursday after police stopped manning the door, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban blamed Europe’s migration crisis on Berlin.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected the criticism, saying her country is doing what all European Union member states should be by taking in refugees in need of protection. Ms. Merkel said she agreed earlier in the day with French President François Hollande that the EU needs binding quotas to distribute refugees fairly.

Tensions have been rising within the bloc as it struggles to deal with thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa, underlining competing national interests amid warnings that the bloc’s cherished policy of border-free travel is at risk. Hungary—on the bloc’s edge—has emerged as a key transit point for people seeking to reach wealthier states where they believe they will have better prospects.

Mr. Orban took a defiant stance during a news conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, where he was holding a series of meetings with top officials. He said he was abiding by EU rules in seeking to register migrants before allowing them to pass into another EU country and is considering the deployment of the army to protect Hungary’s borders with non-EU member neighbor Serbia. He brushed off calls for Hungary to reconsider its rejection of a fairer redistribution system for refugees across the bloc.

“The problem is not European, it’s German. Nobody would like to stay in Hungary, neither Slovakia, Poland or Estonia,” Mr. Orban said after talks with European Parliament President Martin Schulz. “All of them would like to go to Germany.”

The chaos continued at Budapest’s Keleti station, where Hungary has blocked migrants from traveling farther into the EU, sparking three days of protest and leaving hundreds camped outside. The state-owned rail company MAV said all direct westward-bound services were suspended indefinitely for safety reasons.

Ammar Hamsa, 26, from the Syrian city of Homs, and others said migrants rushed the trains in the station because they saw German language text on the side of the forward engine, even as railway officials announced no international trains that day. Crowds of people struggled amid the crush to get on board, with some pushing their children through open windows.

“The station was closed. Then suddenly without organization or decision, they opened the doors and everybody rushed in, in a disorganized way,” Mr. Hamsa said. “Nothing is clear.”

Two trains were eventually allowed to leave Budapest on Thursday, but instead of crossing the border they halted at the Hungarian town of Bicske, site of an already overcrowded refugee camp. Attempts by police to get the migrants to disembark there led to further scenes of chaos.

Outside Budapest’s station, migrants have spread out blankets, set up tents and washed in temporary facilities. On a wall nearby, someone scrawled in big white letters, “I want go to Germany (please).”

Many migrants see Hungary as the shortest route to Western Europe and safer than the often deadly option of crossing the Mediterranean. In Germany, officials have stressed that the country can handle the influx of people in the short run, but described the migration crisis as Europe’s biggest challenge...

More.

Earlier, "The Hijrah Into Europe: Islam's Jihad Immigration."

Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 31 in Turkish Border Town

At the Wall Street Journal, "Attack is near embattled Syrian town of Kobani":

ISTANBUL—Turkey’s government blamed Islamic State for a suicide bombing in a Kurdish border town that killed at least 31 people, one of the worst cases of spillover violence from the four-year-old war in neighboring Syria.

The attacker targeted a cultural center in the town of Suruc where some 300 members of socialist youth groups from across the country were meeting Monday to prepare rebuilding projects in the Syrian city of Kobani, just across the border. Authorities said they suspect a suicide bomber on foot waded into a crowd and detonated explosives, shattering windows and leaving limbs scattered in the yard. More than 100 people were wounded.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the deadliest attack along the border in more than two years. But if Islamic State was behind it, it would be the group’s first known suicide bombing in Turkey.

The Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani was the site of a major victory for Kurdish militia forces over Islamic State in January after a four-month battle. The Syrian Kurdish forces went on to push the extremist fighters from other parts of northern Syria more recently—raising the possibility that the attack in Suruc was retaliation for those Kurdish advances.

The bombing may also have been a response to an intensified Turkish crackdown on Islamic State in recent weeks, a government official in Ankara said. Authorities have arrested scores of suspected members of the group in raids across the country, stepping up ongoing raids. Officials have tightened border controls to try to stem the flow of foreign fighters, deporting about 1,500 mostly Western visitors to Turkey as allies increased intelligence sharing.

“Initial findings point to a suicide bomber and Daesh,” Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym. Speaking after an extraordinary security meeting on the attack, he said terrorist organizations were trying to sabotage Turkey and derail a stable democracy in the region.

Suruc has emerged as a major staging ground for Kurds and their supporters seeking to cross into Kobani.

“They were targeted by anti-democratic forces that don’t want Kobani to be rebuilt,” said Idres Nassan Hassan, a Kurdish official in Kobani. “Those who carried out this attack are part of the terrorists that we are fighting.”

Thousands of people across Turkey protested the bombing, with some marching against Islamic State, also known as ISIS.

But others criticized the government and Mr. Davutoglu’s party, repeating oft-heard accusations that they support or tolerate Islamic State for the greater goal of ousting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The prime minister vehemently rejected the charge.

Turkey’s government said it was tightening security along its 565-mile border with Syria after the bombing. Ankara’s effort to clamp down on supporters may trigger more strikes by terrorists going forward, another Turkish official said.

“We are aware of ISIS capabilities inside Turkey,” the official said. “Turkey is seriously prioritizing this issue to bring it under control.”

Still more.

Also, "Turkey Says One Suspect Identified in Suicide Bombing."

Turkey Faces Political Uncertainty

At the Wall Street Journal, "Turkey Faces a New Political Reality":

ISTANBUL—The surprisingly weak showing by Turkey’s ruling party in parliamentary elections is raising the specter of protracted uncertainty for a key U.S. ally facing mounting economic and national security challenges.

Sunday’s election upset derailed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s bid to transform Turkey’s government into a strong presidential system with him at its head.

It also left the party he led for more than a decade scrambling to find a coalition partner to form a governing majority from among three parties hostile to his aims, and Mr. Erdogan himself to try to wield power without a majority from a post that technically is largely ceremonial.

“It’s going to be much harder for him to get what he wants,” said Steven Cook, a Turkey analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, noting he is weaker within his own country. “The language he’s used over the past couple of years has alienated Turkish voters.”

Some of Turkey’s Western allies welcomed the brake on Mr. Erdogan’s rapidly growing power; a European official hailed the vote as a check on “the increasing Putinization” of Turkey’s political system.

Diplomats said a more diverse parliament could reverse a deterioration of relations with the U.S. and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization partners as well as the European Union, which Ankara seeks to join.

“Politics will be messy and noisy. There are difficult economic issues, difficult regional issues…but I think the republic is well-poised now to deal with them,” said Francis Ricciardone, a former U.S. ambassador to Ankara now at the Atlantic Council, a think tank. “This will be good for Turkey.”

But the election result also has fed fears that a volatile period of fractious coalition governments could destabilize Turkey at a time of gathering threats including a slowdown in growth, the threat of Islamic State militants across its southern borders and fragile peace talks to end a three-decade Kurdish insurgency that has cost 30,000 lives.

In Washington, the State Department praised the high turnout in Turkey’s elections over the weekend. “The United States looks forward to working with the newly elected parliament and with the future government,” it said.

Current and former U.S. officials said Mr. Erdogan’s setback could force him to moderate his political rule and set a less controversial path on the global stage.

But it was unclear whether that will make him a better partner for Washington, particularly on policies relating to the battle against Islamic State and internal issues like press freedoms.

President Barack Obama signaled on Monday that the U.S.’s priority with Turkey will be that it do more to cut off militant fighters flowing into Syria. The U.S. believes most of the Islamic State’s foreign fighters enter Syria from Turkey.

“If we can cut off some of that foreign fighter flow, then we are able to isolate and wear out [Islamic State] forces that are already there,” Mr. Obama said at the Group of Seven leaders meeting in Germany. Turkey has dramatically boosted intelligence cooperation with its western partners since last summer and has deported some 1,200 suspected foreign fighters seeking to cross into Syria...

Still more.

Armenians to 'March for Justice' in Los Angeles

Now that is a righteous march!

At CBS News Los Angeles:

MT @jeffnguyen: Right Now: Sunset Blvd in #Hollywood closed for #MarchForJustice. pic.twitter.com/1m09yYcAYy Story: http://t.co/l0wEO9DCQd

— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) April 24, 2015

Also, at the Washington Post, "Obama’s statement on Armenia avoids ‘genocide’."

And at Astute Bloggers, "ONCE AGAIN, OBAMA REFUSES TO USE THE TERM 'ARMENIAN GENOCIDE'."

And at Fresno's ABC News affiliate KFSN 30, "FRESNO ARMENIANS CALL PRESIDENT'S DECISION NOT TO SAY 'GENOCIDE' LAUGHABLE."

Turkey Lifts Twitter Block on Leftist Revolutionary People's Liberation Front

I blogged about this earlier, "Turkish Prosecutor Dies During Siege by Leftist Revolutionary People's Liberation Front."

Make no mistake, this is what the American left will do soon enough. Radical leftists will resort to revolutionary violence to achieve their ends. The hammer-and-sickle pictured is no different from those waved by Barack Obama supporters back in 2008. It's coming to America.

At London's Daily Mail, "Turkey lifts block on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube after the sites agree to remove images of prosecutor who died after being taken hostage."

And earlier at the Guardian UK, "Turkey bans Twitter in bid to block 'propaganda' pictures of kidnapping."

Turkish Prosecutor Dies During Siege by Leftist Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front

Death, death, death.

It's the leftist way.

At the Wall Street Journal, "Hostage Dies Following Istanbul Courthouse Siege":

Turkish special forces stormed an Istanbul courthouse Tuesday night to free a prosecutor who had been taken hostage hours earlier by armed assailants. Two of the captors were killed, police said; the hostage was badly injured and later died.

The assailants claimed to belong to a branch of the outlawed left-wing group, the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front, or DHKP-C, and had threatened to kill the prosecutor, who was handling a high-profile, politically charged case.

The group, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S., had attacked the U.S. embassy in Ankara two years ago with a suicide bomb, killing a guard.

Local news organizations broadcast dramatic footage of the storming of the courthouse, where the crackle of gunfire could be heard and plumes of smoke seen rising, along with an ambulance leaving the building.

“After patiently negotiating for six hours and keeping all channels open for dialogue, the police conducted the operation after hearing gunshots from inside the room, Istanbul Police Chief Selami Altinok said.

“The two terrorists were captured dead,” and the prosecutor, Mehmet Selim Kiraz, was rushed to a hospital, Mr. Altinok told reporters. Television news footage showed the wounded prosecutor being ferried into a hospital from the ambulance.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu later confirmed the prosecutor had died...

More.

CNN Correspondent Ivan Watson Arrested While Reporting Live in Istanbul, Turkey

At Blazing Cat Fur, "Turkey: CNN reporter detained by police on air."

Public Anger as Death Toll Rises in Turkish Mine Explosion

At WSJ, "Death Toll and Anger Grow at Turkish Mine: Prime Minister Visits Site of Nation's Worst-Ever Mining Disaster, as Protests Mount Before Presidential Vote in August":

ISTANBUL—Turkey's government on Wednesday raced to deal with the country's worst-ever mining catastrophe, as a mounting death toll sparked protests just three months before presidential elections.

The mine explosion and ensuing fire that have killed at least 274 people since Tuesday afternoon has served a new catalyst of public anger toward the government, which since June has been roiled by protests, corruption scandals and Internet bans.

Mounting deaths in Soma and workplace-safety issues pose a fresh challenge to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has overseen the nearly quadrupling of Turkey's economy to $820 billion through overhauls, investments and privatizations since coming to power in 2002.

In the Aegean province of Manisa, rescue teams worked on Wednesday to evacuate about 100 people still underground at Soma Komur Isletmeleri AS's mine a day after the explosion trapped 787 workers. Local channels have broadcast wailing mothers mourning their sons' deaths, along with images of other people keeping a hopeful vigil. Separately, a collapse in the coal-mining center of Zonguldak on the Black Sea coast killed another worker on Wednesday...

Keep reading.