Off-duty U.S. Marines attacked in Turkey

Turkish authorities detained 15 members of a mob that attacked two U.S. service members in the Izmir province on Monday, Turkish news outlet Daily Sabah reported on Tuesday. All the attackers were members of an anti-American political group known as the Turkish Youth Union, which has a history of attacking U.S. military members in Turkey, the outlet reported.

The U.S. Embassy in Turkey on Monday said local authorities were investigating an attack on U.S. military members in Izmir. The embassy added that the service members were stationed aboard the U.S.S. Wasp but did not specify they were Marines. NBC News reported that the service members involved in the altercation were Marines.

What happened in the incident? The mob attacked two Marines wearing civilian clothes and shoved a bag over one of their heads, Daily Sabah reported. Five more Marines jumped into the fray and disentangled their companions from the mob. No one suffered injuries, NBC reported.

What do U.S. officials have to say? Referencing NBC News’ report, former Republican U.S. Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley called the attack unacceptable. Haley is married to a South Carolina Army National Guard officer who returned home from an overseas deployment earlier this year. She called on the Biden administration to demand accountability for the Marines’ attackers.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift from earlier this year about how dozens of people died in a nightclub fire in Turkey.