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Two U.S. Marines from the USS Wasp were attacked Monday during a port visit in Izmir, Turkey, according to a Navy spokesperson. Video of the apparent incident shows a group of men forcing a bag over the head of one of the Marines as they restrain him, chanting “Yankee go home.”
According to sources, the men appeared to be members of the Turkish Youth Union — a small, nationalist, anti-American organization. The group posted the video online, writing: “U.S. soldiers who have the blood of thousands of Palestinians on their hands cannot defile our country.”
Reports have it that Americans were generally well-treated in the country, and that Turkish authorities reported detaining 15 people in connection with the assault.
Turkey is a key American ally in the Middle East and a member of the transatlantic NATO alliance.
The Marines, part of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, were “on liberty” at the time of the incident and taken to a local hospital for evaluation as a precaution, said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Timothy Gorman, U.S. Sixth Fleet spokesperson. The Marines returned to their ship later Monday.
Turkish authorities said “Local Izmir police and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are cooperating in an investigation of the incident,”. “No Marines have been detained by authorities and those involved are cooperating with investigators.”
The USS Wasp is part of a marine expeditionary unit on a routine deployment to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit recently completed a bilateral training exercise with Turkey in the region.
