Methane gas inside northern Iraq cave kills 12 Turkish soldiers

Soldiers died from state vulnerability during a ngo to retrieve a Turkish worker missing successful the cave since 2022.

Twelve Turkish soldiers person died aft inhaling methane state during a ngo successful bluish Iraq, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence says.

“Four different of our heroic comrades successful arms, affected by methane gas, person died … bringing the full fig of victims to 12,” the ministry said successful a station connected X connected Monday.

According to it, the incidental took spot connected Sunday arsenic troops searched for the remains of a worker killed by fighters belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) successful 2022.

PKK has been labelled a violent radical by Turkiye, the European Union and the United States. It fought for Kurdish autonomy for years, a combat that has been declared implicit now.

Nineteen soldiers were exposed to the state wrong a tract erstwhile utilized by equipped fighters arsenic a hospital.

The information of the remaining 7 soldiers was not wide immediately. “I privation a speedy betterment for our heroes affected by methane
gas,” Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote connected X.

The soldiers were conducting a expanse cognition wrong a cave astatine an altitude of 852 metres (2,795 feet) successful the Metina region, portion of Turkiye’s ongoing Operation Claw-Lock targeting the PKK positions successful bluish Iraq.

Though the state is not considered toxic, methane tin go deadly successful confined spaces owed to suffocation risks. The ministry has not clarified however the state accumulated wrong the cave.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his “great sorrow” implicit the incidental and extended condolences to the families of the fallen.

Defence Minister Yasar Guler travelled to the country to oversee inspections and be ceremonies for the deceased.

News of the deaths emerged arsenic a delegation from the pro-Kurdish DEM enactment was visiting jailed PKK laminitis Abdullah Ocalan arsenic portion of the ongoing negotiations with the Turkish government.

The decades-long struggle betwixt Ankara and the PKK has killed much than 40,000 radical since 1984.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies