Wednesday, December 21, 2016 MIDDLE EAST 7 Building a new Turkey: Erdogan’s Four killed ‘crazy projects’ Istanbul, Turkey urkish President Recep in new Tayyip Erdogan yesterday openedT a new road tunnel underneath the Bosphorus in Istanbul, the latest in a string of ambitious schemes to transform the country’s infrastructure. shootout Erdogan, who has dominated the country from 2003 first as premier and then head of state since 2014, boasts that such undertakings are his “crazy A handout picture released by the Jordanian Royal Palace shows Jordanian King projects” that no other Turkish in Jordan Abdullah II (C) visiting victims at a hospital in Amman on December 19, 2016 leader had dared dream of. From bridges to a shipping Amman holed up and that the suspects by the Jordanian security targeting jihadists in Syria and undermine” the country. canal and airports, here is a unmen killed four opened fire on them. forces after an hours-long Iraq. The Canadian foreign rundown of the projects Jordanian policemen A Jordanian member siege of the Crusader castle, It also pledged to carry out ministry confirmed that one whose completion Erdogan inG a new shootout yesterday of parliament from Karak, where the suspects had fled further assaults on countries of its nationals had been killed has overseen and those still in in Karak, where a weekend Haitham Ziadeen, confirmed after opening fire on police within the US-led coalition. and another injured in “the progress. attack claimed by the Islamic that an operation was under patrols and a police station in Jordan is part of the heinous attack”. State group left 10 people way to arrest wanted gunmen. the city. alliance and has carried out “The government of Canada dead, a security source said. “A shootout erupted after The Islamic State group air strikes targeting IS. It also stands ready to assist Jordan Marmaray Tunnel Security forces came under security forces arrived to raid on Tuesday claimed hosts coalition troops on its in bringing the perpetrators Opening date: October fire after launching a raid to a house in the Qarifla region responsibility for the attack, territory.Maaz al-Kassasbeh, a of this attack to justice,” a 2013 track down suspects following of Karak province, where the saying it was carried out by Jordanian fighter pilot from statement added. he Marmaray Tunnel Sunday’s assault, whose gunmen have sought shelter,” four “soldiers of the caliphate” Karak, was captured by the On Monday, Jordanian was the first ever victims included a Canadian he said. who used machine-guns and jihadists when his plane went police said they found suicide underseaT passage beneath tourist, the source said, adding Sunday’s shooting spree in hand grenades. down in Syria in December belts and other explosives in the Bosphorus between that the operation was still Karak, home to one of the A statement said the jihadist 2014, and he was later burned the hideout of the suspects. Europe and Asia. It is used ongoing. region’s biggest Crusader assault targeted Jordanian alive in a cage. IS has claimed previous by a suburban train system But another senior security castles, killed seven policemen “apostate” security forces and King Abdullah II attacks on Jordan, including linked to Istanbul’s metro source quoted by the official and two Jordanian civilians as citizens of the US-led coalition denounced shooting spree as in June when a suicide bomber network. According to the Petra news agency said that well as the Canadian tourist. battling the jihadists in Syria a “cowardly terrorist attack”, killed seven border guards authorities, it has so far the suspects were not linked A total of 34 other people and Iraq. during a visit to the police near the Syrian frontier. transported 172 million to the “terrorist group” behind were wounded, including headquarters in Amman. According to sources passengers. Sunday’s attack. the son of the Canadian Revenge for air campaign But he vowed that the close to Islamists, almost The general security holidaymaker and another IS identified the four dead assault “will not affect the 4,000 Jordanians have joined department said in a statement foreigner, according to militants and said the attack security and stability of Jordan. jihadist groups in Iraq and that police surrounded a authorities. was revenge for the US-led It will reinforce its will and the Syria, and an estimated 420 Osman Gazi Bridge house where the gunmen were Four assailants were killed coalition’s air campaign criminals will not be able to have been killed since 2011. Opening date: June 2016 he fourth-longest Tsuspension bridge Avrasya Tunnel in the world, the Osman Gazi bridge stretches 2.6 Opening date: December 20, 2016 kilometres (1.6 miles) across he bridge is the first ever road tunnel underneath the Bosphorus the Izmit gulf in Turkey’s TStrait in Istanbul and has been built at a depth of 106 industrial northwest. It is metres (348 feet). The total tunnel project comprises an undersea named after the founder and Bosphorus crossing 3.4 kilometres (2.1 miles) long. The authorities first ruler of the Ottoman are now considering building a third tunnel in Istanbul to take Empire. trains and vehicles. Erdogan (L) and his wife Emine Sultan Selim The Istanbul New Airport Erdogan (R) posing in the tunnel Grim Bridge Opening Date: February 26, 2018 Opening date: August ork on the new Istanbul airport is already well advanced. Built 2016 by the Black Sea, well outside the city centre, the authorities Canal Istanbul hybrid between a hopeW that the size of the facility will make Istanbul a global aviation Opening date: Unspecified suspension and cable- hub like Dubai. Campaigners however accuse the authorities of ossibly the most ambitious stayedA bridge, the Sultan ruining one of the few remaining green areas outside the city. of all of Erdogan’s projects, Selim the Grim bridge is theP Canal Istanbul envisages the widest suspension the dredging of a new canal bridge in the world at 58.5 from the Sea of Marmara to metres (192 feet). It is the Dardanelles Bridge the Black Sea, aiming to take third bridge across the Opening date: 2023 pressure off the Bosphorus, one Bosphorus, after the first he bridge will span the famous Dardanelles Straits off the of the world’s busiest shipping opened in 1973 and the Gallipoli peninsula in a project that would dwarf the bridges over bottlenecks. The authorities second in 1988. It is named theT Bosphorus. Erdogan has said construction will start on March 18. have dismissed suggestions the after the 16th century sultan The area has huge national significance for Turks as the place where Panama or Suez-style project is who conquered swathes of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Ottoman troops resisted invading Allied soldiers in World War I. It a step too far and Erdogan has the Middle East during his gestures as he delivers a speech is expected to be called 1915 Bridge after the year of the campaign. said tenders will start in 2017. eight-year rule..