ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday conveyed condolences over the martyrdom of 12 Turkish soldiers after they were exposed to methane gas during a search mission in northern Iraq.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that 12 Turkish soldiers were martyred, after being exposed to methane gas during a search mission in the Claw-Lock Operation zone,” Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said in a statement.
He prayed for Allah’s mercy upon the martyrs and expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families. The spokesperson also reiterated that Pakistan stood in firm solidarity with brotherly Turkiye in this moment of grief.
According to the Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency, 12 soldiers died after being exposed to methane gas during a search operation in northern Iraq.
The soldiers were carrying out a sweep operation in a cave at an altitude of 2,795 feet used by militants of the outlawed PKK terror group in the Operation Claw-Lock zone when the incident occurred on Sunday.
