Turkish Nationalists Attack U.S. Sailors in Istanbul
Turkish nationalists who were yelling "Yankee go home!" on Wednesday attacked three American sailors in Istanbul, Stars and Striped reported.
A group of about 10 men pushed the servicemen, who were not in uniform, and threw objects at them.
"They grabbed the sailors' backpacks while others tried to put bags over their heads," Stars and Stripes said.
None of the servicemen were injured, and they later returned to their warship, the USS Ross, which was briefly in port in the country's largest city.
"One sailor tried to ignore the protesters to no avail. Another worked unsuccessfully to push off the protesters," CBS News detailed. "When the sailors couldn't get away, they began to walk and then run away down a sidewalk."
"U.S Navy officials are working with the Embassy and (the Naval Criminal Investigative Service) to investigate the incident," Capt. Greg Hicks, a spokesman with U.S. European Command, told CNN. "The three sailors were unharmed and are safely back aboard. They did not require medical attention," he added.
The incident was captured on video. It shows the attackers holding a "Youth Association" banner, which the Associated Press described as a nationalist organization. "Anti-American sentiment in Turkey is not widespread," CBS News explained, "but some Turks accuse the United States of meddling in regional affairs."
The U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey's capital, condemned the attack in a tweet. "We condemn today's attack in Istanbul, and have no doubt the vast majority of Turks would join us in rejecting an action that so disrespects Turkey's reputation for hospitality," the mission's statement read.
Almost 2,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed in Turkey, the majority being airmen serving at Incirlik Air Base in the south of that country, Stars and Striped said. The USS Ross, meanwhile, has its home port in Rota, Spain, but "routinely makes patrols in the Mediterranean."
Hicks told the military newspaper that given Wednesday's attack, liberty for sailors serving on ships docking in Turkey in the future will be determined by a Navy investigation.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of latinpost.com