Scottish soldier, 26, is killed as rockets bombard Iraqi base
‘Larger than life’ Lance Corporal was combat medic
‘She was destined for great things’ ‘Defend against deplorable acts’
A SCOTTISH soldier killed in a rocket attack in Iraq was last night named as a 26-year-old medic.
Lance Corporal Brodie Gillon died when Iranian-backed gunmen fired at least a dozen small missiles into a military base north of Baghdad.
Two Americans also died. Twelve personnel were injured in the assault on Wednesday, including more Britons.
Lance Corporal Gillon, from Ayrshire, was a reservist with the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry and was serving with the Irish Guards Battle Group, the Ministry of Defence said. Her commanding officer described her as a ‘hugely popular character’ and told how he was ‘proud and humbled’ to have served alongside her.
Lieutenant Colonel William Leek said: ‘She was a larger than life soldier 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. My deepest condolences go to her family and loved ones. They are in my thoughts and prayers, and those of the wider regimental family.’
Lance Corporal Gillon joined the regiment in September 2015 and qualified as a Class 1 Combat Medical Technician in 2018.
She was among more than 200 British personnel based at Camp Taji taking part in a training mission to help the Iraqi authorities combat Islamic State.
US defence secretary Mark Esper has threatened retaliation.
He warned ‘all options were on the table’ as he blamed the attack on Iranian-backed militia.
Mr Esper said: ‘You don’t get to shoot at our bases and kill and wound Americans and get away with it.’
Asked if a response could include a strike inside Iran, he said: ‘We are focused on the group that we believe perpetrated this in Iraq.’
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said such an attack ‘would not be tolerated’.
In Britain, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemned the ‘cowardly’ attack, adding: ‘We will defend against these deplorable acts and hold those responsible to account.’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the assault as ‘abhorrent’ and ‘deplorable’, while Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: ‘We shall not forget [the victims’] sacrifice and will ensure those who committed these acts face justice.’
The attack was carried out on the birthday of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a US drone strike in January. Ali Al Dulaimy, an Iraqi journalist, saw the base come under fire and filmed the incident from the town of Balad, north of Taji.
‘I heard screams and panic from the American forces inside the camp, and they were rushing to extinguish the fires that devoured the camp. There were soldiers shouting and sirens.’ He added that the rockets appeared to have been fired at ‘precise’ targets.
The US military said Iraqi troops later found a pick-up truck with a rocket launcher mounted in the back. Some of the British troops had been moved out of Baghdad to Taji for their own safety.
US President Donald Trump said the attackers were a rebel group that ‘most likely looked like it could be backed by Iran... we’ll see what the response is’.
US Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, head of central command, told a Senate hearing that the coronavirus outbreak in Iran – which has claimed the lives of hundreds – had potentially influenced decision-making.
He claimed ‘authoritarian regimes’ usually react to extreme pressure by looking at external threats, adding: ‘It probably makes them, in terms of decisionmaking, more dangerous rather than less dangerous.’
The pro-Iran armed faction Kataeb Hezbollah yesterday praised the attack but did not claim responsibility.
Five bases used by the group were hit by US Army forces late last year, two days after the death of an American.
Tensions escalated when Mr Trump ordered the assassination of Soleimani, with Iran vowing revenge over his death.