WASHINGTON (AA) – There has been upset after the U.S. Navy tweeted an historical image depicting American sailors killing troops under the Ottoman flag.

The navy tweeted the celebratory message to mark its 241st anniversary Thursday. A caption on the image read: “American Sailors tough, bold, ready” — each adjective was also represented by a picture.

One of these pictures depicted a scene from the Barbary Wars, the two conflicts in 1804 and 1815 between the U.S., Sweden and North African nations called Barbary states.

Tunisian and Algerian territories plus Tripoli (today’s Libya) were autonomously under Ottoman rule at the time.

Hundreds of Turkish Twitter users reacted to Thursday’s post, writing that the U.S. Navy was giving Turkey a subliminal message at a time when tension between the two allies is high.

Some users posted images of the burning of an American frigate — the USS Philadelphia — during the Barbary Wars. Another shared footage in which U.S. soldiers are crying after an ambush in Iraq with a message reading: “Are u sure about that ‘boldness’?”

Thursday’s controversial post came as Turkish-American relations experience strain due to several issues, including U.S. support given to the PKK’s Syria affiliates, the PYD and YPG.

The 19th century conflicts erupted over commercial vessels’ payment of tribute to Barbary states for passage to Mediterranean Sea. When Thomas Jefferson became U.S. president he refused to pay the tribute and intervened in the region, ultimately winning concessions for fair passage from Barbary rulers.

Muhabir Kasım İleri

[Photo: Barbary wars Enterprise capturingTripoli. Photographer: William Bainbridge Hoff (died 1903)/ Public Domain]