Latest news with #NuriMelihBozkurt
Shafaq News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Death toll of Turkish soldiers in methane-filled cave reaches eight
Shafaq News – Ankara Three more Turkish soldiers died from methane gas poisoning in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, Turkiye's Defense Ministry reported on Monday. The soldiers were searching a cave once used by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as a medical shelter when they inhaled methane gas, the ministry stated, raising the death toll to eight from initial reports of five dead and 19 hospitalized. 6 Temmuz 2025 tarihinde, Pençe-Kilit Harekâtı bölgesinde 852 Rakımlı Tepe'de bölücü terör örgütü mensupları tarafından kullanılan bir mağarada icra edilen arama tarama faaliyetinde, metan gazından etkilenen üç kahraman silah arkadaşımız daha şehit olmuş, şehit olan personel… — T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) July 7, 2025 Fahrettin Altun, head of communications for the Turkish presidency, confirmed early evidence pointed to a natural methane leak, urging the public to rely on official sources and avoid misinformation. Pençe-Kilit Harekâtı kapsamında 28 Mayıs 2022 tarihinde yürütülen mağara arama-temizleme faaliyeti sırasında şehit olan kahraman subayımız Piyade Üsteğmen Nuri Melih Bozkurt'un naaşına ulaşmak amacıyla uzun süredir büyük bir dikkat ve kararlılıkla sürdürülen arama çalışmaları,… — Fahrettin Altun (@fahrettinaltun) July 6, 2025 The cave search was part of Operation Claw-Lock, launched in April 2022 to target PKK positions in Metina, Zap, and Avashin-Basyan. The PKK is designated a terrorist group by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union. The operation was also linked to ongoing efforts to locate the remains of First Lieutenant Nuri Melih Bozkurt, who was killed by PKK gunfire during a cave sweep on May 28, 2022. Despite extensive searches, his body has not yet been recovered. BASIN AÇIKLAMASIDeğerli Basın Mensupları,Pençe-Kilit Harekâtı kapsamında 28 Mayıs 2022 tarihinde icra edilen mağara arama-temizleme faaliyeti sırasında, teröristlerin açtığı ateş sonucu P. Ütğm. Nuri Melih Bozkurt şehit olmuş, yoğun ateş nedeniyle naaşına ulaşılamamıştır.… — T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) July 6, 2025
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
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
5 Turkish soldiers killed by methane gas in Kurdistan
Shafaq News - Ankara Five Turkish soldiers were killed and 14 others injured by methane gas poisoning in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, Turkiye's Defense Ministry announced on Sunday. In a statement, the ministry revealed that the incident occurred during search and excavation efforts in a cave previously used by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as a medical shelter for its wounded fighters. — T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) July 6, 2025 The cave search was part of Operation Claw-Lock, launched by Turkiye in April 2022 to target PKK positions in the Metina, Zap, and Avashin-Basyan areas of the Kurdistan Region. The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union. The operation was also linked to ongoing efforts to locate the remains of First Lieutenant Nuri Melih Bozkurt, who was killed by PKK gunfire during a cave sweep on May 28, 2022. Despite extensive searches, his body has not yet been recovered. BASIN AÇIKLAMASIDeğerli Basın Mensupları,Pençe-Kilit Harekâtı kapsamında 28 Mayıs 2022 tarihinde icra edilen mağara arama-temizleme faaliyeti sırasında, teröristlerin açtığı ateş sonucu P. Ütğm. Nuri Melih Bozkurt şehit olmuş, yoğun ateş nedeniyle naaşına ulaşılamamıştır.… — T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) July 6, 2025 On Saturday, the pro-Kurdish DEM Party announced that a symbolic disarmament of the PKK would take place soon in the Kurdistan Region. The group had declared a ceasefire and intention to disarm in March, following a call by jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan to end its four-decade armed campaign.
