As Istanbul citizens were trying to escape the sorrow of 2016 and dance their way into 2017 at a Turkish nightclub, they unknowingly became the first mass shooting victims of the new year. Very shortly after the massacre inside of the night club, ISIS claimed credit for the attack that left 39 people dead, stating it was an act of retaliation for how the Turkish military handled their operations in northern Syria. The shooting in question are almost all of what took place after the failed attempt at a coup; the Turkish government sent troops into the borders in northern Syria to try and drive out ISIS members from the country. This event, and other pre-existing terrorist groups in Turkey that have caused increased tension with each other make experts cautious as the year progresses and predict that Turkey is going to have to face many more acts of terrorism than years previous.

Along with the imposing threat from the Islamic state, Turkey is facing threats from within its own country as the longstanding war between the Turkish government and militant ethnic Kurdish groups rages on, bringing terror into the major cities of Turkey. The most recent act of terrorism from these groups was the bombing of a soccer stadium in Istanbul that killed 38 people with two blasts and left another 139 wounded on December the 10th.

While this was an awful event to take place, it might give way to a glimmer of hope for the Turkish people at the capture of the culprit. With all of the terrorist attacks that have happened, catching the shooter from the night club massacre has lifted a weight off of the people shoulders and restored some faith in government control. It has allowed the people to believe in the government that the fears brought into the country will be dealt with swiftly and effectively.