American soldiers on leave attacked and almost kidnapped in Izmir, Turkey
On Monday, a mob of Turks attacked American servicemen who were walking through the streets of Izmir, in southern Turkey, apparently while the US personnel were on the loose after the USS Wasp, to which they were attached, called into port.
Video on social media shows a group of men surrounding an American soldier and violently grabbing him. The Turkish men then put a white bag over his head in an attempt to humiliate and perhaps kidnap the American and whoever was with him. The short film then shows another pair of US soldiers intervening to push the Turks away and free their comrade.
A group of people put sack on the head of an American soldier allegedly serving on a US warship (USS Wasp) arrived at the port of Izmir, Türkiye.
“Yankee, go home!” the group chanted.
Note: The Youth Union of Turkey (Türkiye Gençlik Birliği, TGB) is a prominent Turkish youth… pic.twitter.com/lp85LQXf1L
— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 2, 2024
Reuters confirmed the incident:
“A group of young nationalist Turks physically attacked two US soldiers in western Turkey on Monday, the US embassy in Turkey and the local governor's office said, adding that 15 assailants were arrested over the incident.”
The same report reports that a total of five other US soldiers quickly came to the aid of their fellow service members in repelling the attackers, after which local police quickly intervened.
The US Embassy in Turkey later confirmed that American personnel are safe following the incident: “We can confirm reports that American service members embarked aboard the USS Wasp were the victims of an assault today in Izmir and now I am safe,” he said on X. No injuries were mentioned.
The Izmir governor's office identified that the attackers were part of an ultranationalist group called the Turkish Youth Union (TGB), associated with the opposition Vatan party. The statement said the Turkish group “physically attacked” two American soldiers who were in civilian clothes in the Konak district.
The US Navy amphibious assault ship, USS Wasp. Image: US Embassy in Türkiye The group of attackers allegedly chanted “Yankee, go home!” while holding back at least one of the Americans. This all happened in broad daylight.
The British Mirror reports details of the USS Wasp port call over the weekend:
The USS Wasp arrived in the port of Smyrna on Sunday for a scheduled visit, with sailors and Marines participating in tours organized by the ship's Morale, Welfare and Recreation team during the docking. Previously on a scheduled deployment to Europe, Wasp was recently sent to the Mediterranean and Middle East due to rising tensions between Hezbollah and Israel along the Lebanese border, and made a stop in Turkey. It was the first time Wasp operated in the Mediterranean region since it was relocated from Sasebo, Japan, to Norfolk, Virginia, in 2019.
Turkish journalist and regional correspondent Ragıp Soylu described it as “revenge, in their understanding, for US soldiers who put bags on Turkish soldiers operating in northern Iraq almost 20 years ago.”
It appears that the entire incident then turned into an anti-American demonstration, involving US Marines who the crowd tried to detain or essentially kidnap one of.
One commentator said it's time to "kick Turkey out of NATO" and provided further details as follows:
A second American soldier intervenes to help his comrade, but disengages shortly after receiving several punches – probably fearing escalation, aware of the mafia mentality and willingness to use excessive violence by these elements of Turkish society. The accident occurred in the tourist area of Izmir, near the port where the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Wasp is docked.
US Marine cries out “help” with a leftist mob restraining him, chanting “Yankee go home!”–moments ago…in Turkey
A fellow NATO ally hosting US service members on shore leave pic.twitter.com/2XCE5sRxKj
— Sinan Ciddi (@SinanCiddi) September 2, 2024
However, Turkish investigators have not yet provided an official motive. It is likely that it could also be linked to the events in Gaza. Turkish-Israeli relations have recently reached a low point in modern history, and US-supplied bombs and planes are known in the region to aid Israeli operations in Gaza.
Such an attack on a group of American service personnel is incredibly rare in Turkey, which is a NATO country, given the presence of several US military installations linked to bases in the country and frequent US Navy port calls. But tensions are rising and it is no longer prudent for the US military to be seen around too much.
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The article American soldiers on leave attacked and almost kidnapped in Izmir, Turkey comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/militari-americani-in-libera-uscita-assaliti-e-quasi-rapiti-a-smirne-in-turchia/ on Tue, 03 Sep 2024 05:15:59 +0000.