American soldier and British soldier die in training accident in Iraq

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.

The deaths occurred 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. 

“The identity of the deceased U.S. service member is being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification,” the army said. 

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.

“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.

U.K. Defense Secretary John 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.

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.

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.

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.