Two US Marines Assaulted by Mob in Turkey

A group holds down a U.S. Marine on the street and puts a white hood over his head while shouting slogans, in Izmir, Turkey, on Sept. 2, 2024, in a still from video. @genclikbirligi via X Reuters/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

A pair of United States Marines in western Turkey have been assaulted by members of a local anti-American group, officials have confirmed.

The U.S. Embassy in Turkey said in a Sept. 2 statement on social media platform X that the two service members were from the USS Wasp, a multipurpose amphibious assault ship currently docked in the port city of Izmir.

“We can confirm reports that U.S. service members embarked aboard the USS Wasp were the victims of an assault in İzmir today, and are now safe,” the embassy said.

“We thank Turkish authorities for their rapid response and ongoing investigation.”

According to a statement from the Izmir local governor’s office, five other U.S. soldiers saw the incident from a distance and helped their countrymen. Local authorities took 15 suspects into custody, and investigations are ongoing. No U.S. service members were detained by authorities.

The U.S. Defense Department says the USS Wasp arrived in the region on Sept. 1 for a “regularly scheduled port visit,” after a joint training with Turkish military ships in the Mediterranean.

Anti-American Group Claims Responsibility for Attack

In two separate Sept. 2 posts and videos on X, the Turkey Youth Union (TGB), a youth offshoot of the nationalist opposition Vatan Party, claimed responsibility for the attack on the U.S. service members.

In the videos, two men in civilian clothing can be seen surrounded by multiple assailants. Chants of “Yankee go home,” are heard in the background as both men call for help, and a sack is placed over one of their heads.

According to the TGB, the assault was connected to Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza and to “uproot U.S. imperialism and its collaborators from our lands.”

“We put sacks on U.S. soldiers serving on the largest attack ship of the USA, USS Wasp,” the group said.

“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.”

The United States has ramped up its military presence in the Middle East in the wake of unrest and the ongoing war following Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre in Israel that saw about 1,200 people killed and more than 250 hostages taken into Gaza.

The Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, claims that over 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its counterattack in which Tel Aviv vowed to remove Hamas military capability in Gaza.

The Epoch Times has contacted the U.S. Defense Department for comment.