Istanbul, July 8, (dpa/GNA) – The number of Turkish soldiers who died in Iraq after being exposed to methane gas inside a cave has risen to 12, authorities announced on Monday.
Turkish authorities on Sunday reported the deaths of five soldiers.
“We are very sorry for our heroes,” Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on social media platform X.
A total of 19 soldiers entered the cave in northern Iraq in search of the remains of a soldier killed there in 2022, when they were exposed to the escaping gas, the Turkish Defence Ministry said.
The condition of the remaining seven soldiers was not immediately clear. “I wish a speedy recovery for our heroes affected by methane gas,” Yerlikaya wrote.
Turkey’s military presence in Iraq is directed against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is headquartered in the Kandil Mountains in the region.
The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization in the European Union and the United States, is one of the longest-running armed conflicts of the present day.
For decades, the Kurdish national movement has sought to establish an independent country in areas with large Kurdish populations, which include parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria.
The PKK announced its dissolution in May, following a call from its founder, Abdullah Ă–calan, who is imprisoned in Turkey.
GNA