Two U.S. soldiers were assaulted in Izmir, Turkey, by members of the nationalist Patriotic Party, affiliated with the Turkish Youth Union, on Monday. The incident, which involved the group attempting to place sacks over the soldiers’ heads, was captured on video and posted on social media. Following the attack, 15 members of the group were detained, as ordered by Turkish prosecutors, according to the Turkish national news agency Anadolu.
The Patriotic Party, a small nationalist group without parliamentary representation, orchestrated the attack shortly after the soldiers had disembarked from the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, which had arrived in Izmir the previous day following joint training exercises with Turkish assault ships in the Mediterranean.
In the video shared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), members of the group can be heard shouting anti-American slogans, including “Yankee go home!” while attempting to restrain one of the soldiers and place a sack over his head. The group justified their actions by posting: “The U.S. soldiers who carry the blood of our soldiers and thousands of Palestinians on their hands cannot pollute our country.”
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The U.S. Embassy in Turkey confirmed the attack, stating that the service members from the USS Wasp were “now safe” and thanked Turkish authorities for their swift response. “We appreciate the rapid response and ongoing investigation by Turkish authorities,” the embassy’s statement read.
The attack highlights ongoing nationalist sentiments in parts of Turkey and strained feelings toward U.S. military presence in the region. Incidents of this nature have occurred before, as tensions surrounding U.S.-Turkey relations have occasionally flared due to geopolitical conflicts.
The Turkish authorities are continuing their investigation into the incident, while the U.S. Navy has confirmed that the situation has been contained and no further harm came to the soldiers involved.
