Turkey says 5 soldiers killed by methane gas during cave search in northern Iraq
Soldiers were searching a mountain cave when 19 of them were exposed to the gas, which is colorless, odorless, flammable and can cause asphyxiation in sufficient concentration.
'They were immediately transported to the hospital (but) despite all interventions, five heroic personnel were martyred,' the ministry said in a statement. 'Rescue operations in the area continue.'
The ministry did not give a specific location for the incident other than the 'Claw-Lock Operation region,' a reference to an operation launched against the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in north Iraq in April 2022.
The Turkish unit affected by methane gas was searching for the remains of an infantry officer killed by 'terrorist gunfire' during a search-and-clear operation in May 2022, the ministry said. For the last three years, teams have been hunting for his remains.
The cave was at an altitude of 852 meters (2,795 foot) and was known to have been used as a hospital by the PKK in the past, although it had since been cleared by Turkish soldiers.
The office of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the soldiers were 'exposed to a high concentration of accumulated methane gas.'
Turkey and the PKK have waged a 40-year conflict which has often spilled over into Iraq and Syria. Turkey has set up a series of bases in northern Iraq, where the PKK has been established for decades.
The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and most of the West, announced in May that it would disband and renounce armed conflict as part of a new peace initiative with Turkey.
Its fighters are expected to begin handing over their weapons over the next few days in the first concrete move toward disarmament.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
5 hours ago
- Medscape
A Puzzling Pneumothorax in a 36-Year-Old Woman
A 36-year-old woman with no significant medical history presented with recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax accompanied by acute chest pain and shortness of breath, an unusual occurrence, particularly in non-smokers without underlying lung disease. The case was reported by Farman H. Fatah, MD, and colleagues from the University of Sulaymaniyah, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. The Patient and Her History The patient presented to the emergency department with acute left-sided chest pain and shortness of breath. She had a history of asthma and right-sided spontaneous pneumothorax 7 years earlier, which was treated with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and pleurodesis. Her family history was notable for asthma on her mother's side and colonic cancer on her father's side. She denied any history of smoking or environmental exposures. On physical examination, breath sounds were markedly decreased over the left hemithorax. A chest x-ray was performed, revealing a left-sided apical pneumothorax characterised by a region of radiolucency with absent lung markings, indicating air accumulation in the pleural space. A pigtail catheter was inserted to relieve the pneumothorax. Despite appropriate pigtail placement and conservative management, the pneumothorax persisted. The patient was referred for surgical evaluation and underwent VATS with pleurodesis and wedge resection. Intraoperatively, a ruptured subpleural bleb in the left upper lobe was identified and excised. Histopathology of the resected tissue was non-specific and showed no malignancy. A chest CT was performed to investigate the underlying cause. Imaging revealed the site of the bleb rupture and multiple thin-walled cysts scattered throughout the lung parenchyma. Given the history of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax, presence of bilateral pulmonary cysts, and family history of cancer, Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHDS) was suspected. Findings and Diagnosis Genetic testing for mutations in the FLCN gene confirmed the diagnosis. The test included sequencing and deletion/duplication analyses of FLCN . A pathogenic mutation in FLCN , confirmed by molecular testing, established a diagnosis of BHDS. BDHS is a rare autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in the FLCN gene and is characterised by a clinical triad of pulmonary cysts with spontaneous pneumothorax, cutaneous fibrofolliculomas, and renal tumours. Although the estimated prevalence of BHDS is approximately two cases per million, its actual incidence is believed to be higher due to frequent underdiagnosis and highly variable clinical presentations, even among members of the same family. BHDS is often suspected in patients presenting with cystic lung lesions, a family history of related manifestations, recurrent pneumothorax, and characteristic dermatologic findings. A definitive diagnosis is established through genetic testing to confirm pathogenic variants in the FLCN gene. The patient had no known renal or dermatologic manifestations at the time of diagnosis of the disease. She continued to experience mild postoperative dyspnoea and chest discomfort but resumed her daily activities and returned to work. She was scheduled for routine follow-up, including pulmonary function testing and renal surveillance imaging, according to the BHDS management guidelines. Discussion Pulmonary manifestations are often the earliest and most prominent clinical features of BHDS, frequently preceding skin and renal findings. The syndrome is characterised by multiple bilateral pulmonary cysts that tend to be irregular, thin-walled, and predominantly located in the basal and subpleural regions of the lungs. These cysts predispose affected individuals to spontaneous pneumothorax, which can be the first and sometimes the only presenting symptom. One of the key challenges in diagnosing BHDS is its variable presentations. While the classical triad includes skin fibrofolliculomas, renal tumours, and pulmonary cysts, some individuals, like our patient, may present solely with pulmonary involvement. This phenotypic variability can lead to delayed or missed diagnoses, particularly when cutaneous or renal signs are absent or subtle. Approximately 41% of pulmonary cysts present with spontaneous pneumothorax, with a recurrence rate of 41%. The majority of patients (> 90%) develop multiple fibrofolliculomas, especially on the face and upper trunk, in the second or third decade of life, with dermatologic findings serving as the first clinical clue in 25%-50% of cases. Renal tumours are observed in nearly 30% of patients, at a mean age of 50 years. Although the estimated prevalence of BHDS is approximately two cases per million, its actual incidence is believed to be higher due to frequent underdiagnosis and highly variable clinical presentations, even among members of the same family. This highlights the importance of considering BHDS in the differential diagnosis of spontaneous pneumothorax, particularly when it is recurrent or associated with atypical cystic lung disease. Genetic confirmation through FLCN mutation testing is crucial not only to establish a definitive diagnosis but also to initiate appropriate long-term surveillance for potentially life-threatening renal malignancies. Surgical intervention, such as VATS pleurodesis, may be necessary when conservative approaches fail. This case underscores the importance of considering BHDS in patients presenting with recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax, particularly when bilateral pulmonary cysts are evident and no other clear aetiology is identified.
CBS News
20 hours ago
- CBS News
More than 100 joint military members provide free healthcare for Ellwood City residents
While school is out for the summer, the hallways and rooms at Lincoln High School have become venues for service. "This has been two years in the making," Colonel Nicole Hurley, Headquarters of the Air Force Reserve Command Commanders, said. "This has been nine months' worth of planning." Those plans culminated in lines. "We brought with us here about 160 joint military members," Heather Edsall, Air Force Reserve Command Innovative Readiness Training Medical Program Manager, said. There are people from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. They're providing dental care, eye care, eyeglass making – among other things. "These are doctors, nurses, veterinarians, optometrists, and dentists that do this every day in their home station and their civilian practices," Edsall said. It's also all free of charge for people coming down. "A lot of citizens can't afford this healthcare that they're receiving, Mayor Anthony Court of Ellwood City said. It's all to prepare these service members. "Bringing patients through the door helps us simulate what would happen if we had sort of a need to provide care on a mass scale," Edsall said. It's a readiness training exercise with real community benefits. "A lot of dedicated people have come forward through this process," Mayor Court said. People like Colonel Nicole Hurley wanted to bring this to Ellwood City. She was born and raised there. She says she's seen the decline in healthcare coverage in the city, and was happy to see the community show out. "The community has been, really, really supportive," Hurley said. "So – it's meant a lot."
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Epicore Biosystems Secures $1.2M AFWERX Phase II Contract to Enhance Military Hydration Readiness
Award will help accelerate deployment of Epicore's Connected Hydration® platform to support Air Force operations and training CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Epicore Biosystems (Epicore) announces it has been selected by AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of Air Force, for an SBIR Phase II in the amount of $1.2M focused on its Connected Hydration1 wearable platform to address the personalized hydration management and recovery needs of personnel in the Department of the Air Force (DAF). The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018, which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded. Last month, in June 2025, Epicore Biosystems began its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America. "This AFWERX collaboration enables Epicore to deploy our Connected Hydration platform in high-risk, mission-critical environments where human performance and thermoregulation are paramount," said Stephen Lee, CTO and Co-Founder of Epicore Biosystems. "Our product roadmap, which is rooted in smart wearables, hydration data analytics, and real-time haptic feedback and recovery, will now help support the evolving needs of airmen, guardians, and military medics operating under extreme conditions." "The AFWERX contract is a significant milestone in our mission to protect those operating in harsh environments, from industrial worksites to national defense operations," said Roozbeh Ghaffari, CEO and Co-Founder of Epicore Biosystems. "This partnership with the DAF reinforces our commitment to real-time hydration and well-being management for operational readiness, resilience, and safety. We're honored to deploy Epicore's latest in smart wearable technology to support our military personnel." "The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government." About Epicore BiosystemsEpicore Biosystems is a digital health company spun out of Northwestern University's Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics and the John Rogers Laboratory. Epicore has developed advanced sweat-sensing wearables that provide real-time personalized health insights. Their clinically validated smart wearable solutions and cloud analytics are deployed globally and licensed by leading Fortune 500 companies and the Department of Defense. To learn more, visit: Follow Epicore on LinkedIn. 1 About AFRLThe Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace forces. With a workforce spanning across nine technology areas and 40 other operations around the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit About AFWERX As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 370 military, civilian and contractor personnel at four hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has awarded over 10,400 contracts worth more than $7.24 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Epicore Biosystems, Inc. Sign in to access your portfolio
