UK ‘special operations’ soldier died at base Iran attacked in March

The UK military has named the soldier killed in Erbil, Iraq. An American soldier also died in what the allied nations say was a “training accident”. Lance Corporal James Freeman was a member of the Royal Anglian regiment. Iranian drones hit the base in March 2026.

Freeman was a member of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment. The battalion is part of the new army Special Operations Brigade. The British Army website describes the unit as:

the fighting formation of the Land Special Operations Force (LSOF) and is equipped with Robotics and Autonomous Systems.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) posted on X:

It is with great sadness that we confirm the death of Lance Corporal James Freeman, who died on 31 May following a tragic accident during routine military training activity whilst deployed on Operation SHADER, Iraq. pic.twitter.com/2pGkHTja64

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) June 3, 2026

The US Army has not yet named the American soldier killed:

pic.twitter.com/BZwCWnWw3I

— US Army Central & Third Army (@usarmycentral) June 1, 2026

Drop Site News reported that Erbil province was hit by Iranian fire on the day of the deaths:

Iran’s IRGC launched ballistic missile strikes against Iranian Kurdish opposition group bases in Erbil Province on the same day:

At 5:54 a.m., a missile struck the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) headquarters in Chamshar near Darashakran, northwest of Erbil

At 10:40 p.m., two missiles struck a Kurdistan Toilers Party (Komala) base in the Alana Valley

The outlet said:

The Institute for the Study of War said the IRGC launched the strikes in retaliation for a Kurdish opposition attack on an Iranian border guard unit in Chaldran County on May 29.

Adding:

It is not clear whether the training accident and the Iranian strikes have any connection.

Base housing UK military was struck by Iran in March

Iran struck the Erbil base in March with no reported casualties. Middle East Eye said on March 12:

A base in Iraq used by British troops has come under attack from Iranian drones, wounding a number of American soldiers.

British air-defence troops destroyed two drones, but other devices evaded defences and struck an air base in Erbil, northern Iraq, on Wednesday night, defence chiefs revealed on Thursday.

UK forces are in Iraq as part of Operation Shader. Shader trains local forces and carries out operations against the remnants of ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria. The forces have come under fire due to the illegal US-Israeli assault on Iran. The American war of choice has seen Iran strike US-aligned forces in a region and caused a major energy crisis.

Featured image via Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images