Methane Gas Claims Eight Turkish Soldiers in Iraq Cave

Ankara, Jul 7 (AP) Three additional Turkish soldiers have died due to methane gas poisoning after a cave search operation in northern Iraq, as announced by Turkiye's Defence Ministry on Monday, increasing the total number of fatalities to eight. The soldiers were conducting a search for the remains of another soldier who was previously killed by Kurdish militants.

The ministry reported that 19 soldiers were exposed to the gas while searching a mountain cave. On Sunday, five soldiers died from this odorless, colorless, and flammable gas that can lead to asphyxiation when present in high concentrations, with three more succumbing on Monday.

“We offer our prayers for God's mercy upon our heroic martyrs who lost their lives in this tragic event,” stated the ministry on Monday, also expressing wishes for the swift recovery of other affected troops. The ministry specified that the incident took place in the “Claw-Lock Operation region,” referring to an operation initiated against the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq in April 2022.

For 40 years, Turkiye and the PKK have been engaged in a conflict that frequently extends into Iraq and Syria. Turkiye has established a series of bases in northern Iraq, a region where the PKK has maintained a presence for decades. The PKK, labeled as a terrorist organization by Turkiye and much of the Western world, announced in May its intention to disband and forsake armed conflict as part of a new peace initiative with Turkiye.

In the coming days, its fighters are expected to start surrendering their weapons, marking the first concrete step towards disarmament.

As per the ministry’s details, the Turkish unit affected by methane gas was searching for the remains of an infantry officer who was killed by “terrorist gunfire” during a search-and-clear mission in May 2022. Recovery efforts have been ongoing in the area for the past three years.

The cave, located at an altitude of 852 meters (2,795 feet), had previously served as a field hospital for the PKK.

(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)