A nationalist Turkish youth group on Monday assaulted two U.S. soldiers in western Turkey, according to the local government and the U.S. Embassy in Ankara. Fifteen assailants have been detained over the incident.
In a statement, the Izmir governor’s office said members of the Turkey Youth Union (TGB), a youth branch of the nationalist opposition Vatan Party, “physically attacked” two U.S. soldiers dressed in civilian clothes in the Konak district.
Five U.S. soldiers joined in after seeing the incident, and the police intervened. it said. All 15 attackers had been detained and an investigation was launched into the matter, it said.
The U.S. Embassy to Turkey confirmed the attack and said the U.S. soldiers were now safe.
USS Wasp’te görevli ABD’li askeri personelin bugün İzmir’de saldırıya maruz kaldığını ve şu an güvende olduğunu teyit ederiz. Olaya hızlı müdahale etmelerinden ve olayla ilgili soruşturma başlatmalarından dolayı Türk makamlarına teşekkür ederiz.
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We can confirm reports that…
— U.S. Embassy Türkiye (@USEmbassyTurkey) September 2, 2024
“We can confirm reports that U.S. service members embarked aboard the USS Wasp were the victims of an assault in Izmir today, and are now safe,” it said on social media platform X.
Earlier, the TGB posted a video on X showing a group holding down a man on the street and putting a white hood over his head, while shouting slogans.
The group said the man was a soldier on board the USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship.
The U.S. Embassy in Ankara had said earlier on Monday that the ship was carrying out a port visit to the Aegean coastal town of Izmir this week.
#BREAKING: A group of government backed extremists from Turkish Youth Union attempted to kidnap American soldiers who were visiting a tourist area in #Izmir. The #US government must accept that, #Turkey under rule of #Erdogan is No longer an ally. It must be kicked out of #NATO. pic.twitter.com/LBZZnGWAPX
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) September 2, 2024
“U.S. soldiers who carry the blood of our soldiers and thousands of Palestinians on their hands cannot dirty our country. Every time you step foot in these lands, we will meet
you the way you deserve,” TGB said.
(Reuters)
