Turkey's Defence Ministry on Monday said 12 soldiers had died after being exposed to methane gas during a search operation in caves in the Kurdish region of Iraq. The ministry said the incident had ...

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 incident took place during a mission to locate the remains of a Turkish soldier killed by the PKK. Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM party will meet with Erdogan to discuss a peace process with the PKK.