Scottish woman killed in Iraq strike
● Two US soldiers die and dozens injured as missiles fired at coalition
A female soldier from Ayr has been killed in a rocket attack in Iraq.
Lance Corporal Brodie Gillon died alongside two American soldiers at coalition base Camp Taji yesterday. She had served as a Reserve with the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry since September 2015 as a combat medical technician, but volunteered to be part of the Irish Guards Battle Group during their deployment to Iraq this year.
Physiotherapist Lcpl Gillon was described by the Ministry of Defence as “a fit, energetic and compassionate individual, who played an active role in all aspects of military life”.
The UK and US have vowed to hold to account those responsible for a fatal attack on a coalition military base in Iraq.
A 26-year-old Scottish army medic was killed in the missile attack on Taji base, located 17 miles north of Baghdad, the Ministry of Defence said.
Lance Corporal Brodie Gillon, who served as a Reserve with the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry, died after a dozen missiles were fired at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad.
Two US servicemen were also killed in the attack on Wednesday and another 12 military personnel were injured.
Lcpl Gillon’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel William Leek, from the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry, said: “Lcpl Brodie Gillon was a hugely popular character in the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry and we are proud and humbled to have served with her in our ranks.
“She was a larger than life soldier who was determined to deploy on operations, help others, develop herself and gain practical experience. She had already achieved a great deal in her relatively short time with us and it was abundantly clear that she was destined for great things in her civilian and military careers. Her loss is keenly felt.”
Lcpl Gillon was originally from Ayr, but carried out her physiotherapy training in Glasgow.
It is believed Special Forces from the US and Britain have been deployed to track down the militia group responsible for the Camp Taji attack that killed Lcpl Gillon.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the attack would “not be tolerated”, while UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said it was a “cowardly” act. The Iraqi military has opened an investigation into the attack, which came amid mounting tensions between the US and Iran. The attack coincided with what would have been the birthday of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in January. Mr Raab and Mr Pompeo have discussed the attack and how to respond.
Mr Pompeo said they had agreed “those responsible must be held accountable”.
Mr Raab said: “We will defend against these deplorable acts and hold those responsible to account.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnwhat son said: “We will continue to stay in close contact with our coalition partners to establish exactly what happened.”
Iraq’s military said yesterday it had opened an investigation into the rocket attack.
A truck rigged with 107mm Katyusha rocket launchers was discovered by Iraqi security forces a few miles from the base following the attack.
A military statement from Iraq’s joint operations command said caretaker prime minister Adel Abdul-mahdi ordered the investigation into
he called “a very serious security challenge and hostile act”. The United Nations condemned the attack, saying it took “critical political attention away” from Iraq’s ongoing domestic challenges, which threaten to create power vacuum at the seat of Iraq’s government. The last thing Iraq needs is to serve as an arena for vendettas and external battles,” the statement said.
Heightened tensions between the US and Iran in recent months were set in motion by a rocket attack in December on an Iraqi base that killed a US contractor. American airstrikes targeting the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah followed, which led to protests at the American embassy in Baghdad.
A US drone strike in then killed General Qassem Soleimani, a top commander responsible for operations across the wider Mideast.
Iran struck back with a ballistic missile attack on US forces in Iraq, the Islamic Republic’s most direct assault on America since the 1979 seizing of the American Embassy in Tehran.