At least 12 Turkish soldiers dead after methane gas exposure in Iraq

At least 12 Turkish soldiers died from methane gas exposure in Iraq during a search operation inside a cave in a mountain, the Turkish defence ministry said.

In a statement, the Turkish Ministry of Defence said that an operation was launched to locate the mortal remains of Infantry Lieutenant Nuri Melih Bozkurt, who was killed by Kurdish militants during a 2022 military operation.

According to the ministry, a total of 19 Turkish soldiers were exposed to methane gas inside the cave, located at an altitude of 852 meters (2,795 feet) in the Metina region.

At first, five Turkish soldiers died from the gas on Sunday, with seven more passing away on Monday, despite emergency medical intervention.

Earlier, the cave was used as a field hospital by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which was part of the Claw-Lock Operation, a military campaign launched in April 2022 to eradicate PKK grip in northern Iraq.

The ministry specified that recovery teams had been in search of the area for three years without any success.

The senior military authorities, along with the Defence Minister Yasar Guler, travelled to the area to supervise inspections and attend the funeral of the Turkish soldiers killed in action.

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed grief and sympathy to the families of the deceased.

The incident took place within ongoing peace negotiations between Turkey and the PKK, which recently announced plans to cease and renounce clash of arms.

The methane gas exposure in Iraq has heightened priority for an amicable resolution to the decades-long conflict that has taken over 40,000 lives.

The government hasn’t clarified the source of the methane gas. This gas is colourless, has no smell, and can be dangerous in small spaces. The conditions of the other seven Turkish soldiers are still unknown.

This is one of the most serious non-combat incidents for Turkish forces in recent years and shows how dangerous recovery missions can be in risky and unsafe areas.