Eight Turkish soldiers have died after inhaling methane gas during a search operation inside a cave in northern Iraq.
According to a statement released Monday by the Turkish Ministry of Defense, the incident occurred on Sunday during a mission to recover the remains of a soldier previously killed in operations against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants.
The statement added that eleven other soldiers affected by the toxic gas were hospitalized for treatment.
This incident occurred within the framework of ongoing military operations by Turkish forces in the region against armed groups.
Turkey has for years conducted military campaigns in northern Iraq targeting PKK fighters, whom Turkey, the United States, and the European Union classify as a terrorist organization.
