Latest news with #Claw-Lock
Rudaw Net
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Five Turkish officers killed due to methane gas exposure in Kurdistan Region
Also in Kurdistan Sulaimani town uses cameras, fines to curb littering Turkish soldier death toll from methane exposure in Kurdistan Region rises to eight Why did PKK pick Sulaimani for first disarmament? Turkey extends flight ban on Sulaimani again A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Five Turkish military personnel were killed on Sunday after being exposed to methane gas inside a cave during a search operation in the Kurdistan Region. The operation aimed to recover the body of a Turkish officer killed in 2022, according to Turkey's defense ministry. In a statement on X, the ministry said that "a tragic search operation" linked to the "Pence-Kilit [Claw-Lock] Operation region resulted in the deaths of five Turkish military personnel on Sunday after they were exposed to methane gas inside a cave.' The team was meticulously combing the area in an ongoing effort to recover the body of Nuri Melih Bozkurt, a Turkish officer 'killed by terrorists in 2022,' the ministry added. While the statement did not specify the exact location of the incident, Operation Claw-Lock is a Turkish military campaign launched in April 2022, primarily targeting members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the Kurdistan Region's northern Duhok province. In a statement on X, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he received "with great sorrow, news that some of our heroic soldiers" had "become martyrs," adding they had "sacrificed their lives for Turkey's security and peace." Senior figures from Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), including Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus and Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, echoed their sentiments. The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which has led a months-long initiative to resolve the four-decade conflict between the PKK and the Turkish state, also offered condolences over the deaths of five Turkish soldiers. In a statement on Sunday, the DEM Party described the incident as part of the ongoing human cost of the conflict, which has claimed over 40,000 lives - mostly PKK fighters. 'The entire society is paying the price for the long-standing conflict and unresolved issues,' the party said, calling for 'social peace and a will for resolution' to prevent further loss of life. Earlier in the day, DEM Party officials held a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. The pro-Kurdish party cited Ocalan as stating he was 'deeply concerned' by the deadly incident. Meanwhile, Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel also expressed sorrow over the deaths in a statement on X, offering condolences and extending well wishes to the injured.
Shafaq News
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Turkiye "neutralizes" 5 PKK members in northern Iraq
Shafaq News/ Turkish forces 'neutralized' five members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. On X, the ministry stated militants were targeted by an airstrike in the Gara region of the Kurdistan Region, emphasizing that the 'fight against terrorism will continue.' The term 'neutralize' is commonly used by Turkish authorities to indicate that the individuals were either killed, captured, or surrendered during military operations. Separately, the Ministry reported that 'a PKK cave used as a hideout was seized in the Operation Claw-Lock zone, where Turkish forces found weapons, ammunition, and essential supplies.' The Claw-Lock operation, launched by Turkiye in April 2021, targets the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the KRI, particularly in regions such as Gara, Hakurk, and Metina.
