Two US Navy Service Members Attacked In Turkey by Anti-American Youth Group
The crew members are safe, and are serving on the USS Wasp, which has sent to the region deter potential threats against Israel.
Two U.S. service members were attacked while stopped in the western Turkey port at Izmir.
Video is circulating on social media showing one of the service members swarmed by a group of men who placed a hood over his head after being accosted on a Turkish street.
🚨🇺🇸🇹🇷 BREAKING:
U.S. navy personnel from the USS Wasp abducted after disembarking in Izmir, Turkey
The crowd begins to chant anti American slogans after the attack pic.twitter.com/YVFFkNy9sR
— George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) September 2, 2024
The U.S. Embassy in Turkey confirmed that two service members were victims of an assault in Izmir and are now safe. They had been aboard the USS Wasp, which had arrived in the port city after completing a training at sea.
The Izmir governor’s office told Reuters that members of the Turkey Youth Union (TBG), a youth branch of the nationalist opposition Vatan Party, ‘physically attacked’ two U.S. soldiers dressed in civilian clothes in the Konak district.
Turkish authorities have detained 15 members of Turkish Youth Group, which is an anti-American youth organization. Their rallying cries during the event sound remarkably like those hear on American college campuses.
The agency said members of the Turkish Youth Union, which is affiliated with the Patriotic Party — a small, nationalist political party without parliament seats — were detained on the orders of a prosecutor.
The group posted a video of the incident on social media platform X and said they placed sacks over the heads of soldiers who had disembarked from the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Wasp.
The video shows a group of men yelling, “Yankee go home!” while restraining a man and attempting to put a sack over his head.
“The U.S. soldiers who carry the blood of our soldiers and thousands of Palestinians on their hands cannot pollute our country,” the group said on X.
The USS Wasp had just completed joint at-sea training with the Turkish ships TCG Anadolu and TCG Gökova, and had arrived in İzmir for a regularly scheduled port visit.
Kısa süre önce TCG Anadolu ve TCG Gökova ile ortak geçiş eğitimi icra eden USS Wasp, bu hafta gerçekleştirilmesi planlanan liman ziyareti için İzmir’e ulaştı.
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The USS Wasp, having just completed joint at-sea training with the TCG Anadolu and TCG Gökova, has arrived in İzmir… pic.twitter.com/XDxrMKnViQ
— U.S. Embassy Türkiye (@USEmbassyTurkey) September 2, 2024
The USS Wasp, one of the US Navy’s most formidable amphibious assault ships, arrived at İzmir Port on Sunday for a scheduled visit following its deployment in the eastern Mediterranean. The ship has been operating in the region as part of US efforts to deter potential threats against Israel, particularly from Hezbollah and other militant groups.
The USS Wasp’s visit to Turkey follows its participation in joint naval exercises with the Turkish Navy from August 13-17, during which it conducted various training operations alongside Turkey’s TCG Anadolu, the country’s first amphibious assault ship, and the frigate TCG Gökova. These exercises, which included air defense drills and cross-deck operations, highlighted the close military collaboration between the US and Turkey, both NATO allies.
This port visit comes at a time of heightened tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, where the US has increased its naval presence to ensure regional stability and to support Israel against possible threats. The USS Wasp, along with its accompanying ships, the USS Oak Hill and the USS New York, has been positioned in the region since June as part of these deterrence efforts.
It will be interesting to see how Biden handles the developments.
He’s on it pic.twitter.com/6VgzEy1ZZs
— Sweet Xyience (@SweetXyience) September 2, 2024
It will also be interesting to see if VP Kamala Harris or President Donald Trump are asked for comments on this particular development in the upcoming debate.
Meanwhile, other Americans have suggestions for the way forward.
Confine everyone to the ship for their own safety and watch the Turkish merchants lose their SHIT because no sweet shore-leave American dollars in the hyperinflated Turkish economy.
And start figuring out a way to kick Turkey OUT of NATO.
— tree hugging s*ster 🎃 (@WelbornBeege) September 2, 2024
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to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
The goons are not from Erdogan’s party, but how different are their views from his?
The USS Wasp currently has the 24th MEU(SOC) embarked on it. With the ship’s officer and enlisted complement, that’s close to 3K US service members…who likely won’t be spending a penny in the local Turkish economy, which is already wrecked. It’s AMAZING what a shot in the wallet a visiting US naval ship can give to the local economies in its ports of call. These morons ruined it for the local Turks.
As a veteran, when I see someone blabbing information out like this, whether its an armed chair general in living in his basement or the lame stream media. It reminds me of the “loose lips sink ships” part of our training.
It’s common knowledge. They even have a facebook page.
Not really getting what your issue here is D? Are you saying that what Targa said was wrong?
If they can do it with impunity in the USA, of course they’ll do it in an Islamic country.
Dude, the deployment of 24th MEU(SOC) (my old unit BTW) was WIDELY publicized by DoD for the entire time they were in the Med. That’s how show-of-force deterrence works.
I expect that Columbia U. may offer full scholarships to all 15 members of the Turkish Youth Group. To enrich campus diversity, of course.
best choice
confine everyone to the ship
they ship buys no food or anything
from the local economy.
sked unripe when they get to sea.
I wud suggest something called
dungaree liberty with he embarked USMC. but that wud probably cause more problems then it solves.
“It will be interesting to see how Biden handles the developments.”
I’m sure the Dementia Patient-in-Chief will issue a groveling apology to the Turkish government just as soon as he finishes checking his watch.
More than likely he’ll blame it on Netanyahu.
I’m guessing he’ll send a strongly-worded letter in between naps and ice cream cones.
Meanwhile, US sailors will continue to be beaten by Turkish mobs.
meanwhile the UK has also stopped sending Israel “some” military equipment so that iran and their hobros can catch up
and oh
dont call it an embargo they say
The affected equipment includes parts for fighter jets, helicopters and drones.
Mr Lammy said the UK continued to support Israel’s right to defend itself, and this did not amount to an arms embargo.
and b/c the usa is seen as female communist run
the respect/FEAR that these Turks only understand now puts american citizens into more danger INCLUDING IN THE USA
thanksgiving needs to come early
cook and fry turkey
what I like about Turkey is that they take care of their country first
not worried about being globalists
not worried about pleasing china and russia like the dnc does
maga!
They are MUSLIMS
But here they’re trying to ‘take care of’ the mythical state of ‘Palestine’
That is just not true about Turkey.
Turkey’s bread is buttered by the United States. It has no objective interest in Hamas winning, the military bases it has set up outside of Turkey correctly pissed of Saudi Arabia which is sick of religious wars and trying to de-radicalize it’s own population, it has no reason for ongoing hostility with a wide variety of Arab countries, it has no reason to be in conflict with Israel either, the ONLY possible explanation for the endless saber rattling against Greece and desire to seize Greek Islands that they recognized as Greek during the population exchange is RELIGIOUS hostility towards Greek Christians, it torpedoes whatever chances it had of closer economic ties to Europe by banning opposition parties (EU would have to admit it doesn’t give a dam about human rights to grow closer to Turkey surrendering a major propaganda talking point as a result)……….
Aside from bad economic decisions married to horrible and risky diplomatic ones, wasteful spending on military abroad explicitly designed to facilitate conflict yes totally they are just trying to grow their economy……
This is the sort of thing that happens when you “elect” a pathetically weak mental retard as POTUS.
Where’s the globalist shills defending NATO? For that matter if we ain’t deploying to rescue our own US Citizens held by Hamas or hit ISIS targets on our way out of Syria and Jordan why are we in the Med in such large numbers?
Easy answer. Send SEALs and Marines out in street clothes with orders that they can’t kill unless their life is threatened, but they can do anything up to that. After a few broken bones, severe contusions, and hospital stays, I bet the streets get friendlier.
Good for the other Navy guys who came to his defense. Americans are easily identifiable, whether in uniform or not. Good to know they have each other’s back.
The two were US Marines from the 24th MEU as were the other 5 who jumped in to assist.
I visited Antalya in 1983 when I was serving in the U.S.S. Austin. Some of the locals were friendly but caution was still necessary. Going on liberty in uniform was at least discouraged if not forbidden (I can’t remember which; it was a long time ago!). This is a sharp contrast to liberty in Australia and New Zealand where we often wore uniforms ashore; the people there showed us a lot of love.
Bulgaria could use the extra boost to economy provided by American Military presence.
We have very significant resources to use in pressure on Turkey.
Bulgaria in contrast has since the end of the Soviet Empire been a very close American ally.
Erdogan has pretty much driven a stake through Attaturk’s dream.