EXPLAINER: Why Istanbul blast has political implications

By ZEYNEP BILGINSOY
Associated Press

ISTANBUL (AP) — The attack on a central avenue in Istanbul over the weekend was a stark reminder of bombings in Turkish cities between 2015 and 2017. Those blasts crushed the Turkish public’s sense of security at the time and also heralded a new phase in Turkey’s decades-long fight against outlawed Kurdish groups. Sunday’s explosion with a TNT-laden bomb killed six people and wounded dozens of others. Turkish police apprehended a Syrian woman who is accused of planting the device after crossing illegally from Syria. Authorities said she confessed to carrying out the attack on behalf of Kurdish militants.