Turkey had maintained a policy of inaction against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ( ISIL ) despite international calls to do more to combat the terrorist group . Turkish soldiers and ISIL militants have been involved in unexpected clashes in the past and ISIL has also been linked to the 2013 Reyhanlı bombings , the 2015 Istanbul suicide bombing and the 2015 Diyarbakır rally bombing . On 20 July 2015 , 32 socialist activists planning to cross the border to help with relief efforts in the Syrian town of Kobanî were killed in a suicide bombing in Suruç , Şanlıurfa Province . The perpetrator was identified as a member of the Dokumacılar , a terrorist group linked to ISIL . On 23 July , ISIL militants and Turkish soldiers clashed near the Turkish border town of Elbeyli , with the Turkish Air Force subsequently beginning an airstrike against ISIL positions across the border
2015 Istanbul suicide bombing
2015 Istanbul suicide bombing
2015 police raids in Turkey