Investigation of terrorist events in the gendarme region in the period 1980-2021: The case of Gaziantep province

The aim of this study is to examine the terrorist incidents that took place in the Gendarmerie region of Gaziantep and to bring the results obtained as a result of this original study to the literature. The reason why the research was conducted in the case of Gaziantep is that this province is located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region, where terrorist acts are frequently experienced, and is in an important position in terms of Turkey's security strategy. The research covers the period between 1980 and 2021, when violent terrorist acts were experienced in Turkey. In this context, secondary data obtained in line with the permissions obtained from Gaziantep Governorship and Gaziantep Chief Public Prosecutor's Office were subjected to document analysis and content analysis. As a result of the research, it was determined that there were 492 terrorist acts in total between 1980-2021 in the Gendarmerie region of Gaziantep province, these acts manifested as 21 different acts and the acts were carried out by 9 different terrorist organizations. In terms of continuity of action among these organizations, the PKK/KCK terrorist organization; In terms of intensity of action, besides the PKK/KCK terrorist organization, FETÖ/PDY and DAESH terrorist organizations come to the fore. As a result of the research, it was determined that the first terrorist incident in Gaziantep started in 1980 and the terrorist acts experienced increased dramatically after 1990. The district where terrorist acts were most common was determined as İslâhiye. Oğuzeli district, on the other hand, seems to have become the target of some terrorist organizations after 2014. Since the terrorist acts in Gaziantep were successfully operated by the law enforcement officers, 914 suspects were neutralized. As a result of these terrorist acts, it was determined that 41 of our citizens were victimized and 8 critical facilities were damaged. Keywords: Terror, Gaziantep, Southeastern Anatolia, Security, Gendarme.