ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Turkey’s defense minister said Thursday that a Turkish soldier was killed due to Iranian gunfire on the Turkey-Iran border during an attempt to thwart an “illegal crossing” in late October, with investigations into the incident underway.

“On October 31, 2026, during the intervention in an illegal crossing in the area of responsibility of Engin Mine Border Post on the Turkey-Iran border, Infantry Contracted Private Yusuf Sait Unlu was martyred as a result of fire assessed to have come from Iran,” Defense Minister Yasar Guler said during a presser on Thursday.

The Engin Mayin military border lies within the Kurdish-majority Hakkari province in southeast Turkey along the Iranian border. 

Investigations were launched “immediately” following the incident, the minister said. 

“Efforts to fully uncover the incident are being meticulously continued in coordination with Iranian authorities,” he added.

A meeting between relevant Iranian and Turkish authorities was held on Tuesday to follow up on the incident, according to Guler. 

Iran and Turkey share a 535-kilometre (330-mile) border and a complex history of close economic relations and opposing views on regional disputes.

Tehran had issued no official statement on the incident at the time of writing.

In September, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci and his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni met in Ankara to discuss counterterrorism, organized crime, and border security.

Turkey has invested heavily in securing its border with Iran, constructing walls, patrol roads, and surveillance infrastructure, particularly after the US-Israeli wars against the Islamic republic.