Tragedy in the Turkish army: 19 soldiers poisoned by methane, five died

Tragedy in Iraq: five Turkish soldiers died from methane poisoning during a search operation in a cave

As reported by TUT.AZ with reference to the Ministry of National Defense of Turkey, during search and operational activities in one of the caves in northern Iraq, mass methane poisoning occurred among Turkish military personnel. The incident happened in the area of the "Claw-Castle" operation.

It is noted that on May 28, 2022, in this region, as a result of fire opened by terrorists of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Turkish soldier Nuri Melih Bozkurt was killed. Due to intense shelling, it was not possible to evacuate his body at that time.

On July 6, 2025, a special operation was conducted in the cave to locate and retrieve the remains of the deceased serviceman. During the operation, 19 soldiers were exposed to methane gas poisoning, and all victims were urgently transported to medical facilities. Despite the efforts of doctors, the lives of five soldiers could not be saved.