ANKARA, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Five Turkish soldiers were killed after being exposed to methane gas during a search operation in a cave in northern Iraq, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Sunday.
The incident occurred during an ongoing search and clearance mission in Türkiye's Operation Claw-Lock zone in northern Iraq where the Turkish military has been conducting operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the ministry said in a statement, without specifying the time frame of the incident.
The cave, previously used as a hospital by the PKK and later cleared by Turkish forces, was being searched as part of efforts to locate the remains of a first lieutenant who was killed in 2022, it said.
A total of 19 soldiers were exposed to methane gas inside the cave. All were immediately transferred to the hospital for treatment, but despite medical intervention, five soldiers lost their lives, it said.
In 2022, Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock to target the PKK hideouts in northern Iraq's Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions near the Turkish border.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than four decades.
In May, the PKK announced its decision to disband and end its armed insurgency. ■