{"id":12374,"date":"2026-06-02T13:04:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T13:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=12374"},"modified":"2026-06-02T13:04:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T13:04:35","slug":"american-soldier-and-british-soldier-die-in-training-accident-in-iraq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=12374","title":{"rendered":"American soldier and British soldier die in training accident in Iraq"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An American soldier and a British soldier died in a training accident and Iraq, officials in the United States and United Kingdom said Monday. They did not release more details about the incident, which happened on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The deaths occurred Sunday at an air base in Irbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, where the U.S. has retained a presence, the U.S. Army said in a post on X.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“The identity of the deceased U.S. service member is being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification,” the army said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The U.K.’s Ministry of Defence said in a separate post that the family of the British soldier has been notified and requested a “period of grace” before more details are released.<\/p>\n
“It is with deep regret that we can confirm that a training accident occurred in northern Iraq on Sunday 31 May 2026 in which a service person from the British Army died,” the ministry said in that post.<\/p>\n
U.K. Defense SecretaryJohn Healey said in a statement that he was “deeply saddened by the death” of the British soldier. A social media video showed Healey announcing the soldier’s death in British Parliament.<\/p>\n
The U.S. has been reducing the number of troops countering the Islamic State group in Iraq. But American forces have retained a presence in the Kurdish region as the U.S. seeks to strengthen ties with the Kurds.<\/p>\n
The U.S. inaugurated a large new consulate compound in December in Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish region, highlighting Washington’s diplomatic and strategic engagement in the area. <\/p>\n
The deaths occurred nearly a month after two American soldiers fell off a cliff and died during an off-duty recreational hike in Morocco. They were reported missing May 2 after participating in African Lion, an annual multinational military exercise. <\/p>\n\n<\/section>\n