Twelve soldiers have died and several others were hospitalized after being exposed to methane gas during a cave search in northern Iraq, the National Defense Ministry announced.
The incident occurred yesterday during an ongoing operation in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) territory, part of Turkey's broader “Claw-Lock” military campaign targeting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group.
According to the ministry, 19 soldiers were exposed to methane gas when the they were conducting a search inside a cave on "Hill 852," which had previously been used as a medical facility by militants.
They were immediately taken to hospital and four of them died shortly after, the ministry announced. As of this morning, the number of the killed soldiers rose to 12.
The ministry noted that the operation was connected to efforts to recover the remains of Infantry Lieutenant Nuri Melih Bozkurt, who was killed by PKK gunfire during a cave operation in the same area on May 28, 2022. His body has not yet been recovered.
Condolence messages
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his condolences in a message shared on social media yesterday.
“I have learned with great sorrow that we have martyrs among our heroic soldiers who were affected by methane gas during the search operation conducted in the Claw-Lock Operation zone," he wrote. "I extend my condolences to their families, loved ones, and the Turkish Armed Forces. I wish a speedy recovery to our injured soldiers.”
Other senior officials and political leaders, including ministers, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, and Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel, also shared messages of condolence.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party also offered condolences and called for peace in a written statement.
“We extend our condolences to the families and loved ones of the soldiers who lost their lives due to methane gas exposure in a cave, and wish a swift recovery to the injured,” the party said. “These losses deeply sadden all of us. The cost of the ongoing conflict and lack of resolution is being paid by society as a whole.”
Calling for a peaceful resolution, the DEM Party added, “The right to life can only be defended by sharing pain, not by comparing it. The only way to prevent future tragedies is through societal peace and a commitment to a democratic solution.” (VC/VK)
