07.07.2025 13:51
The names of the 12 soldiers who were martyred after being exposed to methane gas during the search operations for the remains of Infantry Lieutenant Nuri Melih Bozkurt, who was martyred in the Pençe-Kilit Operation area, have been revealed.
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The Ministry of National Defense announced the names of our 12 soldiers who were martyred while searching for the body of Infantry Lieutenant Nuri Melih Bozkurt, who was martyred in the Pençe-Kilit Operation area after being exposed to methane gas.
According to a statement made by the Ministry of National Defense yesterday, 5 soldiers had been martyred due to methane gas poisoning in northern Iraq. The Ministry later reported that the number of martyrs had risen to 12 after announcing that 3 more soldiers had been martyred in the morning hours.
In a statement made from the Ministry of National Defense's X account, it was stated, "On July 6, 2025, during a search and scanning operation conducted in a cave used by members of the separatist terrorist organization at 852 elevation in the Pençe-Kilit Operation area, four more of our heroic comrades were martyred due to methane gas exposure, raising the total number of martyrs to twelve. Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler has gone to the region to conduct investigations and inspections along with the TSK command hierarchy and to attend the farewell ceremonies of our martyrs. We wish God's mercy upon the noble martyrs who lost their lives in this incident that has plunged us into deep sorrow and grief, and we extend our condolences and patience to their grieving families, the Turkish Armed Forces, and our noble nation, and we wish a speedy recovery to those affected."
HERE ARE THE IDENTITIES OF OUR MARTYRS Infantry Lieutenant Furkan Sert
Infantry Non-Commissioned Officer Senior Sergeant Fikret Mangura
Infantry Specialist Sergeant Enver Yaman
Infantry Specialist Sergeant Kani Obi
Engineering Specialist Sergeant Ümit Üzüm
Infantry Contracted Private Celalettin Uyanık
Infantry Contracted Private Ahmet Gültekin
Engineering Lieutenant Ege Akar
Non-Commissioned Officer Senior Sergeant Abdurrahman Akdoğan,
Infantry Contracted Mahsun Yeşildemir
Infantry Contracted Özkan Özkanlı
Infantry Contracted Ahmet Kuşak
THE MINISTRY REVEALED THE DETAILS OF THE INCIDENT In its initial statement, the Ministry of National Defense provided details of the incident. The statement included the following: "During the cave search and cleaning operation conducted on May 28, 2022, as part of the Pençe-Kilit Operation, Infantry Lieutenant Nuri Melih Bozkurt was martyred as a result of fire opened by terrorists, and his body could not be reached due to intense fire. The area has been secured, and the terrorists have been neutralized, but despite all searches, the body of our martyr has not yet been reached. All areas where the body may be found are being meticulously searched by specially organized teams. In the ongoing search operations; on July 6, 2025, during a search and scanning operation in a cave at 852 elevation, which is known to have been previously used as a hospital and has been cleared of terrorists, 19 of our personnel were exposed to methane gas and were immediately transported to the hospital; despite all interventions, five of our heroic personnel were martyred."
A CEREMONY FOR THE 6 MARTYRED SOLDIERS IN HAKKARI The 6 soldiers who were martyred due to exposure to methane gas were sent off to their hometowns with a ceremony held at Selahattin Eyyubi Airport in Yüksekova, Hakkari.
Attending the ceremony were Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, Chief of General Staff General Metin Gürak, Commander of the Naval Forces Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, Commander of the Land Forces General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, Commander of the Air Forces General Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu, Hakkari Governor Ali Çelik, Provincial Police Chief İdris Yılmaz, Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Brigadier General Necip Çarıkcıoğlu, Yüksekova District Governor Mustafa Akın, AK Party Hakkari Provincial Chairman Zeydin Kaya, district mayors, and department heads.
After a one-minute silence, the biographies of the martyrs were read.
After prayers were recited, the coffins of the martyrs, wrapped in the Turkish flag, were placed on the plane by their comrades to be sent off to their hometowns for their final journey.
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