ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Tuesday extended his condolences to Turkey following the deaths of 12 Turkish soldiers who succumbed to methane gas exposure in the northern Duhok province, according to a statement from the Region’s presidency.
In a letter addressed to Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler, President Barzani expressed "his heartfelt condolences to Türkiye and to the families of the soldiers who tragically lost their lives, as well as to those who were injured in an incident that occurred on Sunday in a cave within the mountainous areas of the Kurdistan Region."
The Kurdistan Region President also wished a swift recovery to the injured and emphasized the importance of continued cooperation between both sides "to foster peace and uphold security and stability in the region."
On Monday, Turkey’s Defense Ministry announced that 12 soldiers had died after exposure to methane gas inside a cave in Duhok. The troops were reportedly attempting to retrieve the body of a Turkish lieutenant who was killed in 2022 during Operation Claw-Lock - a military campaign by Ankara targeting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The PKK has been engaged in a decades-long conflict with the Turkish state that has claimed over 40,000 lives - mainly PKK fighters.
In recent months, Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) has stepped up efforts to mediate a resolution. On Sunday, the party expressed its condolences over the soldiers’ deaths, lamenting that "the entire society is paying the price for the long-standing conflict and unresolved issues."
That same day, DEM Party officials held a meeting with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. According to the party, Ocalan expressed being “deeply concerned” by the incident that claimed the soldiers’ lives.
Founded in 1978, the PKK originally pursued an independent Kurdish state, but later shifted its demands toward greater political and cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey. The group is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and several of its Western allies.
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