Turkish group attacks US soldiers in Izmir, denounces US presence
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A Turkish youth group, TGB, attacked US soldiers stationed in western Turkiye, accusing them of bearing the blood of both Palestinians and Turkish soldiers on their hands.
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TGB members cover a US soldier's head with a white blanket on September 3, 2024. (Social media)
A Turkish youth group attacked two US soldiers in western Turkiye on Monday, the US Embassy in Turkiye and the local governor's office said, adding that 15 people affiliated with the attack had been detained over the incident.
Izmir's governor's office said in a statement that members of the Turkiye Youth Union (TGB), a youth branch of the nationalist opposition Vatan Party, "physically attacked" two US soldiers who were in civilian clothing in the Konak district.
The statement added that five US soldiers joined in after witnessing the incident before the police intervened.
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On Monday, a White House spokesperson revealed that Washington was troubled by the incident, adding that it was "appreciative that Turkish police are taking this matter seriously and holding those responsible accountable."
The US Embassy in Turkiye also confirmed the attack and said the US soldiers were now safe.
'US soldiers carry blood on their hands' : TGB
TGB posted a video on X showing a group pinning a man down on the street and shouting slogans.
According to the group, the man was a soldier on board the USS Wasp - an amphibious assault ship - carrying out a port visit to the Aegean coastal town of Izmir this week, according to the US Embassy in Ankara.
ABD'NİN EN BÜYÜK TAARRUZ GEMİSİ USS WASP'TA GÖREVLİ ABD ASKERLERİNE ÇUVAL GEÇİRDİK!
— TGB (@genclikbirligi) September 2, 2024
Mehmetçiğimizin ve binlerce Filistinlinin kanını elinde taşıyan ABD askerleri ülkemizi kirletemez.
Bu topraklara her adım attığınızda sizi hak ettiğiniz gibi karşılayacağız!
@USEmbassyTurkey… pic.twitter.com/Brzr6KZP8m
"US soldiers who carry the blood of our soldiers and thousands of Palestinians on their hands cannot dirty our country. Every time you step foot in these lands, we will meet you the way you deserve," TGB said.
Despite both the US and Turkiye being NATO members, relations between them have been tense in recent years in light of US sanctions on Turkiye, Washington's alliance with Syrian Kurdish groups like the SDF, among others, considered by Ankara as extremists, and differences over the war in Ukraine. Further discord has arisen over "Israel's" war on Gaza, where over 40,000 people have been martyred in cold blood.
