Middle East
Training incident in Iraq kills US soldier, British service member
Stars and Stripes
June 2, 2026
Coalition Forces conduct an evacuation drill at Irbil Air Base, Iraq, in December 2024. (Veronica Van Doran/U.S. Army)
A U.S. Army soldier and a British service member died during military training Sunday at Irbil Air Base in northern Iraq, according to statements released Monday by the U.S. Army and the United Kingdom’s Defense Ministry.
U.S. Army Central and Third Army announced its death in a post on X but provided no details about the training or circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The training was conducted with our British Army partners who also lost a soldier,” the message said. “The incident is under investigation.”
The Army is withholding the soldier’s identity until 24 hours after the family has been identified.
The U.K. also announced Monday “with deep regret” that a British army solider died in a training accident in northern Iraq.
“Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends at this time,” the message said.
U.S. forces have retained a presence in the Kurdish region as means of strengthening ties with the Kurds, The Associated Press reported Monday.