Latest news with #OperationClawLock
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Methane gas inside northern Iraq cave kills 12 Turkish soldiers
Twelve Turkish soldiers have died after inhaling methane gas during a mission in northern Iraq, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence says. 'Four other of our heroic comrades in arms, affected by methane gas, have died … bringing the total number of victims to 12,' the ministry said in a post on X on Monday. According to it, the incident took place on Sunday as troops searched for the remains of a soldier killed by fighters belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in 2022. PKK has been labelled a terrorist group by Turkiye, the European Union and the United States. It fought for Kurdish autonomy for years, a fight that has been declared over now. Nineteen soldiers were exposed to the gas inside a site once used by armed fighters as a hospital. The condition of the remaining seven soldiers was not clear immediately. 'I wish a speedy recovery for our heroes affected by methane gas,' Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X. The soldiers were conducting a sweep operation inside a cave at an altitude of 852 metres (2,795 feet) in the Metina region, part of Turkiye's ongoing Operation Claw-Lock targeting the PKK positions in northern Iraq. Though the gas is not considered toxic, methane can become deadly in confined spaces due to suffocation risks. The ministry has not clarified how the gas accumulated inside the cave. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his 'great sorrow' over the incident and extended condolences to the families of the fallen. Defence Minister Yasar Guler travelled to the area to oversee inspections and attend ceremonies for the deceased. News of the deaths emerged as a delegation from the pro-Kurdish DEM party was visiting jailed PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan as part of the ongoing negotiations with the Turkish government. The decades-long conflict between Ankara and the PKK has killed more than 40,000 people since 1984.
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Methane gas inside northern Iraq cave kills 12 Turkish soldiers
Twelve Turkish soldiers have died after inhaling methane gas during a mission in northern Iraq, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence says. 'Four other of our heroic comrades in arms, affected by methane gas, have died … bringing the total number of victims to 12,' the ministry said in a post on X on Monday. According to it, the incident took place on Sunday as troops searched for the remains of a soldier killed by fighters belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in 2022. PKK has been labelled a terrorist group by Turkiye, the European Union and the United States. It fought for Kurdish autonomy for years, a fight that has been declared over now. Nineteen soldiers were exposed to the gas inside a site once used by armed fighters as a hospital. The condition of the remaining seven soldiers was not clear immediately. 'I wish a speedy recovery for our heroes affected by methane gas,' Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X. The soldiers were conducting a sweep operation inside a cave at an altitude of 852 metres (2,795 feet) in the Metina region, part of Turkiye's ongoing Operation Claw-Lock targeting the PKK positions in northern Iraq. Though the gas is not considered toxic, methane can become deadly in confined spaces due to suffocation risks. The ministry has not clarified how the gas accumulated inside the cave. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his 'great sorrow' over the incident and extended condolences to the families of the fallen. Defence Minister Yasar Guler travelled to the area to oversee inspections and attend ceremonies for the deceased. News of the deaths emerged as a delegation from the pro-Kurdish DEM party was visiting jailed PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan as part of the ongoing negotiations with the Turkish government. The decades-long conflict between Ankara and the PKK has killed more than 40,000 people since 1984.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Turkey says 12 soldiers now dead of methane exposure in Iraq
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox ISTANBUL - Turkey said on July 7 that 12 soldiers had died after being exposed to methane gas during a search operation in caves in northern Iraq, increasing its previous toll of eight. The incident comes at a sensitive time, with Turkey in talks to end the conflict with the Kurds after the PKK militant group agreed to halt its decades-long armed struggle. The conflict, which began in 1984, has cost more than 40,000 lives. The deaths occurred when the Turkish troops were searching for the remains of a soldier who was shot dead by Kurdish fighters in the area in May 2022 and whose body was never recovered, Turkey's defence ministry said. 'Four other of our heroic comrades in arms, affected by methane gas, have died... bringing the total number of victims to 12,' the ministry said on July 7 on X. It did not explain the origin of the methane gas in the caves. 'During a search operation in a cave... previously known to have been used as a hospital... 19 of our personnel were exposed to methane gas,' it had said on July 6. It did not give any information about the condition of the other seven soldiers who were exposed to the gas, but said a farewell ceremony for the 12 victims was held at an airport in south-eastern Turkey. The soldier whose body they were searching for was killed as Turkish troops were conducting Operation Claw Lock, a four-month sweep that began in April 2022 to root out Kurdish PKK militants holed up in caves along the border. The methane incident occurred on July 7 as a delegation from the pro-Kurdish DEM party was meeting jailed PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan, who – in a rare move – extended his condolences over the deaths. 'This incident caused Mr Ocalan and all of us deep sadness,' a delegation statement said, offering condolences 'to their families and relatives'. AFP
Saudi Gazette
6 days ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Methane gas kills 12 Turkish soldiers in Iraq operation
ISTANBUL — Twelve Turkish soldiers have died after being exposed to methane gas while searching a cave in northern Iraq, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence said. At least 19 personnel were exposed to the gas during the search and clear operation on Sunday, and immediately taken to hospital. By Monday, 12 had died, the ministry said. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he received the news with "great sorrow" and extended his condolences to the soldiers' families and to the Turkish Armed Forces. Methane gas is not directly toxic, but can be deadly as it can become suffocating, especially in tight, enclosed spaces. It remains unclear why the cave contained enough methane gas to make it lethal. A farewell ceremony for some of the soldiers killed was held at an airport in the southern Turkish province of Hakkari on Monday. It was attended by the Turkish defence minister and many high-ranking officials from the armed bodies were then transported back to their soldiers were searching for the body of a soldier who was killed in gunfire in May 2022 during Operation Claw Lock — a military operation led by Turkey against militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq, which included air strikes on caves as well as a ground PKK, which is banned as a terrorist group in Turkey, the EU, UK and US, has waged a 40-year insurgency against group's initial aim when it began fighting with Turkey in the 1980s was to create an independent home for Kurds. It then moved away from its separatist goals, focusing instead on more autonomy and greater Kurdish the last four decades, more than 40,000 people have been killed in the March, the PKK declared a ceasefire and in May said it would disband, stating it had "completed its historical mission" and would "end the method of armed struggle."In the first significant step towards peace since the announcement, the PKK said a group of fighters will lay down arms this week in Iraqi Kurdistan. — BBC
The National
6 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Twelve Turkish soldiers die from methane gas exposure during cave search in Iraq
Turkey's Defence Ministry on Monday said 12 soldiers had died after being exposed to methane gas during a search operation in caves in the Kurdish region of Iraq. The ministry said the incident had taken place on Sunday inside a cave in Duhok during a mission to retrieve the remains of a Turkish soldier killed during a military operation against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). 'Four other of our heroic comrades in arms, affected by methane gas, have died … bringing the total number of victims to 12,' the ministry said on X, raising an earlier toll. It did not provide further details on the origin of the methane gas in the caves. The soldier whose body the troops were searching for had been shot dead by Kurdish fighters in May 2022, the ministry said. Turkey was waging Operation Claw Lock at that time, attacking PKK positions in northern Duhok. The incident comes amid renewed peace efforts and continuing talks aimed at ending the conflict between Turkey and the PKK. The militant group has agreed to end its decades-long armed struggle and to disarm. The news of the deaths started to emerge on Sunday as a delegation from the pro-Kurdish DEM Party was visiting jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. The party has been mediating the negotiations between the group and Ankara. The DEM Party offered condolences over the deaths of the soldiers and said Ocalan had stated he was 'deeply concerned' by the incident. The PKK was founded by Ocalan in 1978 and has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state for four decades, with about 40,000 killed on both sides. The group is designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU, something it challenges.
