Following the bombing in central Ankara claimed by the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) on Sunday afternoon (October 1), a feud between current Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and his predecessor Süleyman Soylu has become more visible as opposition party leaders extend their support to Yerlikaya in the aftermath of the attack.
Sunday’s attack in Ankara resulted in the deaths of both attackers after one detonated a suicide bomb and the other was killed in a shoot-out with police forces. Two police officers were also injured at the scene. Later in the evening, the PKK claimed responsibility for the attack, resulting in retaliatory Turkish military strikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq.
Following Sunday’s attack, a social media post by a group linked to former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu (Ebabil Harekatı) took aim at the new interior minister, accusing Yerlikaya of pursuing associates of Soylu instead of busting terror plots:
“While they have been busy tracking down those who have served tea to Soylu, they have neglected to track down those terrorists who are right in front of them. Apparently they will pursue the terrorists until the last one is killed. No need to bother – the terrorist already blew himself up. Time to return to the ministry and keep hunting down all the bureaucrats who have worked with Soylu.”
The social media post was taken down shortly thereafter, the the group’s Twitter account was deactivated, but not before the public caught wind and screenshots of the post began circulating around the internet.
Süleyman Soylu previously served as Interior Minister from 2016-2023, during which he became known as one of the most outspoken and polarizing members of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s cabinet. Soylu relinquished his post at the Interior Ministry earlier this year, following his election victory as a member of parliament representing Istanbul’s second district. In addition to Soylu’s controversial and inflammatory political style, the former Interior Minister has also been accused of mob connections. Allegations from Turkish mob boss Sedat Peker in 2021 alleged Soylu’s involvement in the cocaine trade between Colombia and Turkey, as well as providing thousands of arms to Islamic extremist groups following 2016’s failed coup d’etat attempt through SADAT, a company with close links to the Justice & Development Party (AKP) government variously described as a private army, defense consultancy firm, or mercenary group.
Soylu reportedly opposed Yerlikaya’s appointment as his replacement, preferring a hand-picked successor, and the tension between the two men is said to date back to Yerlikaya’s time as Istanbul governor while Soylu was still at the helm of the Interior Ministry. Reporting from Halk TV’s Seyhan Avşar from earlier this year indicates that in an effort to prevent Yerlikaya’s appointment, Soylu presented President Erdoğan with evidence of Yerlikaya’s alleged links to the Gülen movement (FETÖ). FETÖ is a banned Islamist movement blamed by the Turkish government for orchestrating 2016’s failed coup.
Following Soylu’s allegations of Yerlikaya’s FETÖ links, President Erdoğan reportedly investigated the matter but continued in his appointment of Yerlikaya after finding no evidence of connections between the new interior minister and the banned group. Soylu has denied that such an episode between himself and the president ever took place.
A photo posted of Soylu’s visit to the Interior Ministry following the Sunday bombing has also added to speculation of a feud as Soylu’s face appears obscured in the shot. Additionally, former Istanbul Chief of Police Mustafa Çalışkan is a known associate of Yerlikaya’s, as the two men worked closely together during the latter’s time as Istanbul governor. Çalışkan and Soylu were known to have had a tumultuous relationship through the years, which included Çalışkan’s demotion from Istanbul Police Chief to Vice Director at the Interior Ministry’s Public Security Directorate (Emniyet Genel Müdürlüğü).
Since Sunday’s bombing, various opposition leaders have offered their support to the new Interior Minister including Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, İYİ Party Chairwoman Meral Akşener, Gelecek Party Chairman Ahmet Davutoğlu, and Saadet Party Chairman Temel Karamollaoğlu. The opposition’s vocal support towards Yerlıkaya may represent an attempt to diminish the influence of Soylu, long a hated figure in opposition circles. According to Medyascope Editor-in-Chief Ruşen Çakır, the opposition’s enthusiastic support shown to the new Interior Minister may also represent a new strategy: “Before, the opposition used to portray Erdoğan as good but those around him as bad. Now, the strategy may be to portray Erdoğan as bad and those around him as good.” Çakır cited the opposition’s reception to the appointment of new Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek and foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as further evidence of such a strategy.
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Further ripple effects from Sunday’s bombing continued Tuesday (October 3) as Halk TV anchor Ayşenur Arslan was taken into custody following comments made on a TV program regarding the attack in which Arslan questioned the government’s official narrative of Sunday’s events. During the broadcast, Arslan seemed to question the official narrative that one of the attackers had blown himself up, saying that such an action simply did not make sense, mentioning that the suspects had killed a driver and hijacked his car before coming to the Turkish capital. The comments earned Arslan rebuke from Turkey’s Radio and Television Council (RTÜK), who characterized the anchor’s remarks as “immoral and terror-loving”. Halk TV received a fine and a temporary programming ban from RTÜK as punishment for the incident.
Written for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick
