Two US Marines attacked in Türkiye, Navy says

Two U.S. Marines from the USS Wasp were attacked Monday during a port visit to Izmir, Turkey, according to a Navy spokesman. Video of the incident shows a group of men forcing a bag over the head of one of the Marines while restraining him, chanting “Yankee, go home.”

CBS News foreign correspondent Holly Williams said the men appeared to be members of the Turkish Youth Union, a small nationalist and anti-American organization. The group posted the video online, writing: “American soldiers who have the blood of thousands of people Palestinians “What we do with our hands cannot defile our country.”

Williams, who has lived in and covered Turkey for several years, said Americans are generally treated well in the country, and said Turkish authorities said they have arrested 15 people in connection with the assault.

Turkey is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East and a member of the transatlantic NATO alliance.

The Marines, part of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, were “on liberty” at the time of the incident and were being taken to a local hospital for evaluation as a precaution, said U.S. Navy Commander Timothy Gorman, a spokesman for the U.S. 6th Fleet. The Marines returned to their ship later Monday.

“The local police in Izmir and the Naval Criminal Investigation Service are cooperating in the investigation of the incident,” Gorman said. “No Marines have been arrested by authorities and those involved are cooperating with investigators.”

The USS Wasp is part of a Navy Expeditionary Unit on a routine deployment to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The 24th Navy Expeditionary Unit recently completed a bilateral training exercise with Turkey in the region.

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