A British soldier has been killed in Iraq following an “incident”, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
The soldier, from the 2nd Battalion the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, did not die as a result of enemy fire, the MoD said. Its statement said: “The death occurred in Taji, Iraq, following an incident that is currently under investigation, but we can confirm that it was not as a result of enemy activity.”
Officials have informed the soldier’s family, who requested a period of grace be given before the name is released.
Earlier on Monday, the US-led coalition in Iraq, which is trying to tackle Islamic State announced that a service member had been killed on 2 January. The statement from the Combined Joint Task Force said: “The service member’s name and the circumstances surrounding the death will be released at the discretion of the pertinent national authorities. The incident is under investigation.”
Taji is a town close to Baghdad where the British army has a training and advisory operation: Camp Taji is a coalition forces base also known as Camp Cooke.
It is thought the soldier was there in a training capacity as opposed to actually fighting Islamic State, according to Sky News.
