How exactly 12 Turkish soldiers lost their lives in Iraq Details from Defence Ministry on gas leakage inside PKK cave

The Turkish Ministry of National Defence has announced the details of the incident that resulted in the death of 12 soldiers during the ongoing Pençe-Kilit (Claw-Lock) operation in northern Iraq.

Zeki Aktürk, spokesperson for the Ministry, said the search continues for the remains of soldiers who have yet to be found, Caliber.Az reports, citing the ministry's post on X.

Millî Savunma Bakanlığının faaliyetleri başta olmak üzere gündemdeki konulara ilişkin Haftalık Basın Bilgilendirme Toplantısı gerçekleştirildi.

Millî Savunma Bakanlığı Basın ve Halkla İlişkiler Müşaviri ve Bakanlık Sözcüsü Tuğamiral Zeki Aktürk toplantıda basın mensupları ile şu… pic.twitter.com/5AQsH09CIL

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) July 10, 2025

A special team has been dispatched to locate the body of Infantry Senior Lieutenant Nuri Melih Bozkurt, who was killed on May 28, 2022, in clashes with PKK terrorists during the same operation, but whose remains remain missing.

The incident occurred in a cave on a mountain 852 meters high that was cleared of terrorists between June 23 and 24, 2024. All entrances and firing ports of the cave were sealed afterwards.

Between July 1 and 5, search and scanning activities were conducted on the first level of the cave using a reconnaissance dog and a mine and improvised explosive device detection team. It was discovered that the cave has a second level with a stepped and sloped structure.

On July 6, after a dog reconnaissance outside the cave showed no negative signals, 12 soldiers entered the cave in three groups (6 + 4 + 2) at intervals to inspect the newly found second level. During the search, some soldiers began to collapse and lose consciousness due to gas exposure. The two soldiers in the rear communication group exited and called for help.

Five soldiers outside the cave immediately entered to rescue their comrades but some of them also began to lose consciousness. Subsequently, 12 soldiers outside the cave entered in pairs to save the gas-affected personnel.

"All our soldiers affected by the gas, except for the seven comrades who entered first, were evacuated thanks to the dedication of our personnel involved in the search and inspection operation and were immediately transported by helicopter to the hospital," Aktürk said.

Despite all measures, five soldiers died. The incident was unprecedented, and specialized search and rescue teams from Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) and Coal Authority were called in. Experts found carbon monoxide, methane, and hydrogen sulfide gases inside the cave. When oxygen levels fell to 19%, the cave was ventilated with fans.

Since this was a first-of-its-kind incident, assistance was requested from specialised search and rescue teams associated with AFAD and the Turkish Coal Authority. Measurements taken by expert teams revealed the presence of carbon monoxide, methane, and hydrogen sulfide gases in the cave. After detecting a drop in oxygen levels to 19%, the cave was ventilated with fans.

After oxygen was increased to 60%, expert teams entered and recovered the bodies of the seven soldiers.

“We would like to once again thank AFAD, UMKE, and the Turkish Coal Authority personnel for their dedicated efforts in evacuating our fallen comrades,” Aktürk added.

By Khagan Isayev