Reyhanli Bombings

While occurring in southern Turkey, the May 11, 2013 coordinated car bombings in the town of Reyhanli seem to be tied intimately with the Syrian conflict in at least a (contested) couple of ways. With a reported 52 dead and 140 injured, it is considered the worst act of violence of the Syrian war that happened outside Syria, and has fallout still to be measured in full. As such, it more than deserves a page here, even if just another stub page with a more active discussion page. On September 30, 2013 Turkish daily Today's Zaman reports that the group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant finally claimed responsibility for the attacks, threatening further attacks should Turkey not re-open the border gates it had closed due to ISIL overrunning the town of Azaz on the Syrian side. In reaction to this, the Turkish government insisted that the culprits are in custody and have nothing to do with al-Qaeda, but are Turkish communists with ties to the Syrian government.