U.S., British soldiers dead in military training accident in N. Iraq

Xinhua
02 Jun 2026, 19:45 GMT+10

BAGHDAD, June 2 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. soldier and a British soldier died during a joint military training exercise at an airbase in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, an Iraqi source said Tuesday.

An Iraqi Kurdish security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua the two soldiers died on Sunday during military drills with Kurdish security forces at a military base near the Erbil International Airport.

The exercises are part of an ongoing program conducted by U.S. forces, supported by British troops, to train Kurdish security forces and enhance their capabilities in countering terrorist groups, the source added.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Central said in a statement that a U.S. soldier died Sunday in a training accident at Erbil Airbase in Iraq, adding that a British partner soldier also died in the incident.

The Erbil Airbase hosts U.S. and coalition forces under an agreement with the Iraqi authorities, serving tasks related to training, advising, and assisting Iraqi and Kurdish security forces.

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