Methane gas exposure kills 12 Turkish soldiers in Iraq

Twelve Turkish soldiers have died after being exposed to methane gas while searching a cave in Iraq, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence said.

The troops were searching a mountain cave when 19 of them were exposed to the gas, according to the ministry.

Five of the soldiers died Sunday from the colourless, odourless, flammable gas that can cause asphyxiation in sufficient concentration, and seven more succumbed on Monday.

“We pray for God’s mercy upon our heroic martyrs who lost their lives in this tragic event,” the ministry said Monday, also expressing hope for a rapid recovery for other troops that were affected.

It said Defense Minister Yasar Guler and armed forces’ commanders were travelling to the region to carry out “inspections and evaluations” and attend funeral ceremonies.

The ministry said the incident took place in the “Claw-Lock Operation region”, a reference to an operation launched against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq in April 2022.

There was no immediate information on the condition of the seven other Turkish soldiers in Iraq who were affected by the gas.

Turkey and the PKK have waged a 40-year conflict that has often spilt over into Iraq and Syria. Turkey has set up a series of bases in northern Iraq, where the PKK has been established for decades.

The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and most of the West, announced in May that it would disband and renounce armed conflict as part of a new peace initiative with Turkey.

Its fighters are expected to begin handing over their weapons over the next few days in the first concrete move toward disarmament.

According to the ministry, the Turkish unit overcome by methane gas had been searching for the remains of an infantry officer killed by “terrorist gunfire” during a search-and-clear mission in May 2022. Recovery teams have been scouring the area for the past three years.

The cave where the incident occurred sits at an altitude of 852 meters (2,795 feet) and had previously been used by the PKK as a field hospital.

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