THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION is facing growing calls for a forceful response to violence on American soil by Turkish presidential guards who were briefly detained this week but then set free.
The incident is adding to US-Turkish tensions compounded by a spat over US war strategy against the so-called Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.
The United States said it summoned Turkey’s ambassador to the State Department, where the number two ranked US diplomat raised concerns about the security detail for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Washington, after the guards were recorded on video violently breaking up a protest.
Erdogan watched the melee unfold from the backseat of his vehicle, before exiting the vehicle and looking toward the chaos.
US lawmakers demanded stronger action. Republican Senator John McCain said the government should “throw their ambassador the hell out” of the US.
The calls came as the Trump administration acknowledged it had released two members of Erdogan’s detail after holding them briefly after the incident, which took place on Tuesday outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in the US capital.
Even as officials vowed there would be an investigation, the guards were already safely back in Turkey with Erdogan, dampening any prospects for holding them accountable.
Local police and lawmakers initially speculated that diplomatic immunity prevented the US from holding the men. A US official said that wasn’t the case.
Instead, Erdogan’s guards were released under a globally recognised custom under which nations don’t arrest or detain visiting heads of state and members of their delegations, said the official, who wasn’t authorised to comment publicly on the matter and requested anonymity.
Not the first time
The guards’ release left the US struggling to point to anything that amounts to accountability. It also fuelled the perception the US allows Turkey’s leader to bring strongman tactics with him when he visits the US. Last year, Turkish security officials manhandled several journalists at a Washington DC think tank where Erdogan was set to speak.
“There must be consequences,” Representative Steny Hoyer, the number two Democrat in the House, said yesterday.
The State Department called the latest incident “deeply disturbing”, insisting there would be a “thorough investigation that will allow us to hold the responsible individuals accountable is of the utmost importance to us.”
The fracas erupted as Erdogan arrived at the ambassador’s residence following a meeting with President Donald Trump. Videos show people pushing past police to confront a small group of protesters across the street.
Attacking with their fists and feet, men in dark suits and others are seen repeatedly kicking one woman as she lay curled on a footpath. Another person wrenches a woman’s neck and throws her to the ground. A man with a bullhorn is repeatedly kicked in the face. In all, nine people were hurt.
“This isn’t Turkey. This isn’t a third-world country,” McCain said on MSNBC.
Turkey’s embassy blamed the violence on demonstrators, saying they aggressively provoked Turkish-American citizens gathered to see Erdogan. The embassy alleged, without evidence, that the demonstrators were associated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade-long insurgency against Turkey and is considered a terrorist group by the US.
Tensions over Syria
The violent capstone to Erdogan’s visit spoke to the high tensions between the US and Turkey, NATO allies that have increasingly sparred over US strategy toward defeating IS militants in Syria.
To Turkey’s dismay, Trump has decided to arm Syrian Kurdish militants in the impending fight to retake the key city of Raqqa. Washington considers the Syrian Kurds an effective force against IS. Turkey sees them as a PKK extension and an existential threat to Turkish sovereignty.
In its protest against the decision, Turkey’s foreign minister yesterday demanded that Trump dismiss his envoy in charge of the anti-IS coalition, Brett McGurk.
And Erdogan, speaking in Istanbul two days after meeting Trump, put Washington on notice that his forces won’t hesitate to attack US-backed Kurds if they threaten Turkey.
“We are already telling you in advance: Our rules of engagement give us this authority,” Erdogan said. “We will take such a step and we won’t discuss it or consult with anyone.”
The Trump administration rushed to McGurk’s defense.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said McGurk has “the full support and backing” of Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Still, Nauert sought to acknowledge Turkey’s misgivings about terrorism by the PKK and other groups.
“We respect those concerns, and continue regular consultations with our NATO ally on this and other topics of mutual importance,” Nauert said.
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