Ankara/Damascus, July 7 -- The death toll of Turkish soldiers rose to eight after three more succumbed to methane gas exposure during a search and clearance operation in a cave in northern Iraq, Turkiye's Defence Ministry said today.
The accident occurred yesterday in Turkiye's Operation Claw-Lock zone, where Turkish forces were searching a cave previously used by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in an effort to recover the remains of a first lieutenant killed in 2022.
Nineteen soldiers who were exposed to methane gas during the mission were immediately hospitalised, with five dead yesterday, said the ministry.
"We offer our condolences and prayers for the noble martyrs who lost their lives in this incident, which has...