WASHINGTON — Sailors from the USS Ross on shore leave in Istanbul were
roughed up, taunted and chased back to their ship in an incident that led to
the
cancellation of leave for all U.S. forces.
“Today’s attack on three sailors from the USS Ross in Istanbul is
reprehensible,”
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in a statement on Wednesday.
The attackers, a part of a group called the Nationalist Youth Association,
chanted “Yankee go home” and threw objects at the sailors, jostled them around
and at one point placed plastics bags over their heads. `
The hostile action, which took many by surprise, is a stark departure from the
usual reception that U.S. military personnel get in Turkey.
But U.S. intelligence officials have pointed out in the past that the terror
group ISIL has used Turkey as transit hub for sympathizers trying to join
their
fight in Syria and Iraq. They say Westerners, and Americans in particular,
need to
be careful there.
The assailants were eventually tracked down.
“Law enforcement have
the suspects in custody. We commend this swift action and are certain that
those
who did this will be held accountable,” Mabus said.
U.S. military personnel have been trained to deal with antagonistic
situations,
and the sailors involved in the incident were commended for extricating
themselves from the situation without escalating it, and returning to their
ship without sustaining injuries.
The incident is a troubling development considering the history of Turkish-
U.S.
relations.
“We have long enjoyed a strong
relationship with Turkey for many years. The incident will have no impact on
that
strong relationship,” a Navy spokesman said in a statement.
The U.S. Navy is working with the Turkish National Police and U.S.
Embassy staff to investigate the incident. The U.S. Navy says it will continue
to coordinate with Turkish authorities to review security procedures for
future
ship visits.
About 2,000 U.S. military personnel are based in Turkey.
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