10 remanded in custody following attack on US soldiers in Türkiye

Ten individuals have been remanded in custody after their involvement in an incident where a U.S. soldier’s head was covered with a sack in Izmir. The group of 15 suspects was detained by the Provincial Security Branch of the Directorate of Security, and their legal proceedings were concluded on Monday. While 10 of the suspects were ordered to remain in custody, five others were released under judicial control.

The group placed a sack over the soldier’s head while he was walking along Kibris Sehitleri, Izmir’s one of the most crowded streets. The act appears to be a symbolic gesture referencing a 2003 incident in Iraq where Turkish soldiers were subjected to a similar action by U.S. forces

A Turkish Youth Union official, speaking anonymously to Türkiye Today, recalled that American soldiers placed sacks over the heads of 14 Turkish soldiers in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, on July 4, 2003, as an act of revenge.

The official revealed that the union has so far placed sacks over the heads of seven American soldiers and plans to continue until they reach 14, intending to repeat the process with seven more soldiers.

The incident occurred when a group, including members of the Turkish Youth Union, confronted a U.S. soldier who had disembarked from the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1), which was docked at Izmir Port.