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Two US Marines ambushed and assaulted by Turkish pro-Hamas mob: ‘Yankee, go home!’

September 3, 2024 | | Print Article

Rising tensions in the Middle East led a mob of Hamas sympathizers to attack two U.S. Marines before sharing the assault and their specific message on social media: “…we will welcome you as you deserve.”

(Video Credit: ABC News)

While the Biden-Harris administration convened in the Situation Room after an American was confirmed to be among the six hostages murdered by Hamas to subvert a rescue attempt, a nationalist mob in Turkey deliberately targeted U.S. service members.

In a video posted by the Youth Union of Turkey, the mob could be seen surrounding one man in civilian clothes before placing a bag over his head and chanting, “Yankee, go home!” in the Western city of Ä°zmir, Turkey.

A moment later, another man rushed into the frame, endeavoring to aid the captured individual as fists began to fly before additional U.S. service members intervened.

The incident, which took place a day after the USS Wasp arrived in Ä°zmir following joint exercises with the Turkish military, led to the arrest of 15 of the Turkish nationalists who posted on X, “WE PUT SACKS ON THE US SOLDIERS SERVING ON THE LARGEST ATTACK SHIP OF THE USA, USS WASP!”

“U.S. soldiers who carry the blood of our soldiers and thousands of Palestinians on their hands cannot defile our country,” the translation of the text detailed. “Every time you step foot in these lands, we will welcome you as you deserve.”

In their own statement, the U.S. Embassy in Turkey said, “We can confirm reports that U.S. service members embarked aboard the USS Wasp were the victims of an assault in Ä°zmir today, and are now safe. We thank Turkish authorities for their rapid response and ongoing investigation.”

Though the identities of the victims of the mob were not provided, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Timothy Gorman, spokesperson for the U.S. Sixth Fleet, confirmed the men were U.S. Marines and that, “The two Marines were aided by other Marines in the area and were subsequently taken to a local hospital for evaluation as a precaution but were not injured and have returned to the USS Wasp.”

He went on to state, “Local Izmir police and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are cooperating in an investigation of the incident. No Marines have been detained by authorities and those involved are cooperating with investigators.”

Monday’s incident was not the first such attack on American service members in Turkey as Stars and Stripes indicated that the group had targeted a member of the U.S. Navy in 2021 when the USS Mount Whitney had arrived in Istanbul.

Likewise, in 2014 it had been reported that three U.S. sailors were targeted by the Youth Union in the Eminönü district of Istanbul as they said, “You declared that you are a member of the U.S. Army. We define you as murderers. We want you to leave our land.”

In each case, reports referenced a 2003 incident in Iraq as a motivating factor for the nationalists after the U.S. military detained Turkish soldiers and placed hoods over their heads.

Kevin Haggerty
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