Didn't you have 597 liras?

We learned about it from the statement made by the Ministry of National Defense.

“12 soldiers were martyred after being affected by methane gas in a cave they entered during search operations conducted in northern Iraq.”

Fire has once again fallen upon both homes and hearts!

The soldiers were conducting search and sweep operations to recover the remains of Infantry First Lieutenant Nuri Melih Bozkurt, who was martyred in the Claw-Lock Operation region on May 28, 2022.

They entered a cave that PKK members had previously used as a hospital in Zap. It was around 08:00 in the morning. There were 10 personnel in the team; two were leading the way. As they advanced, those behind smelled a strange odor. When they went a little further, they saw the two personnel in front of them lying on the ground.

They wanted to reach their comrades, but they too could not breathe. They threw themselves out in a desperate struggle for life. They did not understand what was happening and informed their commanders that “poisonous gas had been released into the cave.”

Upon this, Combat Engineer First Lieutenant Ege Akar entered the cave to rescue the soldiers remaining inside. However, he too was affected by the gas and collapsed to the ground. When they later brought him out, they realized he had no pulse, performed CPR, and evacuated him from the region.

It was practically a life-and-death struggle.

Infantry contract privates Özkan Özkanlı and Mahsun Yeşildemir also entered to save their comrades, but they too could not make it out.

The matter was not something that could be covered up. Communications Director Fahrettin Altun announced without delay that the incident occurred due to methane gas naturally formed inside the cave:

“This tragic event has caused deep pain in the heart of our nation. During this process, we kindly request our citizens to rely only on statements made by official authorities and to be careful against disinformation.”

God forbid, if “speculative” news leaked, the opening and softening process they are trying to push on our people under the guise of a “Turkey without terror” could be disrupted.

So, could methane gas be this dangerous?

The answer to the question was provided by Dr. Selim Erdoğan, an expert in military geography and military geomorphology. He made a striking post on social media regarding the issue.

He said:

“It is not beyond the realm of possibility to say ‘it’s impossible, they are lying’ that our soldiers were indeed martyred due to methane (or another gas that would cause oxygen deprivation). It is possible... In underground systems where bat guano accumulation is dense and ventilation is restricted, ammonia concentration occurs, which is often confused with methane. However, as organic content increases, depending on the morphological and hydrological conditions of this environment, it can lead to the concentration of gases such as methane, CO, and CO2. Oxygen content drops sharply, and a situation occurs that we call ‘sweet death,’ where a person passes out without even realizing it and surrenders to death within a few minutes. To those brothers who say ‘What is methane doing in a cave?’; it happens in such a way that it will have your funeral prayer read before you even notice...”

Let us continue from his post.

“A detector saves lives! In Aksaray, in 2011 and 2012, two brothers died in this way in a cave they entered for treasure hunting. Together with an MTA team, we experienced such a danger in a cave that was later submerged under the Havran Dam lake. Later, starting from 2017, we stopped taking risks, and a gas detector was purchased for everyone on the team. For example, in 2017, because we suspected hydrogen sulfide emissions in the lava tube caves in Hassa, Hatay, we all entered with detectors and firefighter-type oxygen masks to use if needed. Fire burns where it falls, but I hope a lesson is learned from this disaster. The presence of some very simple and cheap equipment would stop such preventable accidents from becoming a cause of death.”

This is exactly where the problem lies!

Why didn't the soldiers have a detector to detect methane gas or any other poisonous gas with them?

Did the great Republic of Turkey not have a gas detector to give to soldiers who would be conducting cave searches?

Go on the internet and look; methane gas detectors are sold for even 597 liras.

Yet, every Turkish citizen who has done their military service knows that even the smallest risk factor in the barracks is taken into account, and the soldier's safety is always a priority.

How did such negligence occur when embarking on such an important mission, and even when it was known that search and sweep operations would be conducted in caves?

We do not know the answer for now. Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler stated, “This incident, which has plunged us into deep and painful sorrow, will be examined in every detail with the administrative investigation we have initiated.” Let us put a period to our article by saying we will all see together when and what kind of result will come out of this investigation.