Istanbul, Turkey (BN24) – Twelve Turkish soldiers died after inhaling methane gas inside a cave in northern Iraq while searching for the remains of a soldier missing since 2022, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence said Monday. The deaths occurred during an operation in the Metina region, where Turkey has been conducting a large-scale offensive targeting positions held by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.
According to the ministry’s statement posted on X, the soldiers were carrying out a mission on Sunday at an altitude of nearly 2,800 feet. The cave had previously been used by PKK fighters as a makeshift hospital during their decades-long insurgency. The ministry said 19 soldiers were exposed to the gas during the operation.
Initially, officials reported that eight soldiers had died. Later, the ministry confirmed that four additional troops succumbed to the effects of the gas, raising the death toll to 12. The condition of seven others who were also affected was not immediately clear.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya expressed support for the injured soldiers, writing on X that he wished them a swift recovery. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a message expressing his “great sorrow” over the deaths and extended condolences to the families of the soldiers.
Defence Minister Yasar Guler traveled to the scene to oversee inspections and take part in ceremonies honoring the deceased.
The soldiers were searching for the body of a Turkish serviceman killed in 2022 by PKK fighters. The PKK, which has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, fought an armed campaign for Kurdish autonomy that Ankara has declared over.
Though methane is not classified as a toxic gas, it can prove fatal in enclosed spaces because of its suffocation hazards. The Ministry of Defence has not specified how the gas accumulated to such dangerous levels inside the cave.
The incident underscores the continuing dangers Turkish troops face during Operation Claw-Lock, an intensive military campaign aimed at rooting out PKK militants entrenched in northern Iraq.
Aljazeera
