Two US Marines assaulted by Turkish nationalist group shouting, ‘Yankee go home’ in Izmir, Turkey

Group links attack to US support for Israel’s war in Gaza

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Two United States Marines were assaulted by a group of nationalists belonging to the Youth Union of Turkey (TGB) group. The attack took place on Monday during a port call in Izmir, on the Turkish Aegean coast.

Footage of the incident was widely circulated on social media and showed the two Marines encircled by 15 people in a commercial area. They were chanting, "Yankee go home."

In another video, TGB members can be seen holding one of the Marines and placing a bag over his head. When a second Marine attempts to intervene and rescue his fellow service member, he is restrained by the larger group.

The Marines involved in the incident are members of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit serving on the USS Wasp, which docked in the city of Izmir following a joint military drill with Turkish Navy vessels.

The Wasp has been on duty in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea since June, as part of the regional buildup of U.S. forces meant to prevent Hezbollah and Iran from escalating attacks against Israel.

The U.S. Embassy in Turkey later released a statement on 𝕏 acknowledging the attack and claiming that the two Marines were 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

The nationalist group TCB is known to hold anti-American views. This incident is not the first time the group has been involved with assaults on U.S. service members.

In 2014, three U.S. Navy sailors from the USS Ross were attacked by TCB members during a port call in Istanbul, Turkey. At the time, the group claimed to be protesting U.S. “imperialism.”

However, in Monday's incident, the group attributed their attack on the Marines to U.S. support for Israel's war in Gaza.

“The U.S. soldiers who carry the blood of our soldiers and thousands of Palestinians on their hands cannot pollute our country,” the group stated in a post on 𝕏.

“Every time you step into these lands, we will welcome you as you deserve!”