Two American service members were attacked by a mob of young Turkish nationalists in the western city of Izmir on Monday as a crowd of onlookers chanted anti-American slogans. The American personnel are reportedly safe, and Turkish police have arrested 15 of the assailants.
The assault appeared to be an attempted kidnapping, as the mob threw a sack over the head of one American sailor while the other tried to defend him.
The attack was reportedly thwarted when five other U.S. soldiers stepped in, followed by Turkish police.
The office of the Izmir governor said the attackers were members of a group called Turkiye Genclik Birligi (TGB), or the “Turkey Youth Union” in English. TGB is the virulently anti-American youth wing of a fringe nationalist party called Vatan Partisi, or the “Patriotic Party.” Vatan Partisi does not currently hold any seats in the Turkish parliament.
Various observers translated the chants heard during the attempted kidnapping as “Yankee go home!” and “America is finished!”
TGB posted a video of the assault on its X account, tagging the accounts of the U.S. Embassy in Turkey and the U.S. Department of Defense. In related X posts, the TGB described the attack as a “sack action.”
“U.S. soldiers, who carry the blood of our soldiers and thousands of Palestinians on their hands, cannot defile our country. Every time you step into these lands, we will welcome you as you deserve!” TGB said.
TGB has conducted “sack actions” before, including a very similar assault on three U.S. Navy personnel in Istanbul in 2014.
The U.S. Embassy in Turkey confirmed on Monday that U.S. Navy personnel from the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp were “the victims of an assault in Izmir today, and are now safe.”
“We thank the Turkish authorities for their rapid response and ongoing investigation,” the embassy said.
The USS Wasp arrived in Izmir on Sunday for a scheduled port visit. Before docking, the Wasp was involved in bilateral training at sea with the Turkish Navy amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu and the Turkish frigate TCG Gokova.
The training, and the Wasp’s port call in Izmir, were intended as a “symbol of America’s enduring commitment to Turkey’s security,” according to the United States Navy. The commanding officer of the Wasp, Capt. Christopher Purcell, described training with the Anadolu as “a fantastic experience for our crew.”
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