Large-scale joint training at Kinloss Barracks disrupted as investigation launched into shooting incident
By Charlotte Kensington
Three Belgian soldiers have been injured following a shooting incident at a military base in Scotland, the country’s defence ministry has confirmed.
The incident occurred on Monday during Exercise Red Condor, a joint operation currently under way at Kinloss Barracks, a former RAF facility in Moray, which is hosting around 600 Belgian troops.
Two of the soldiers remain in stable condition, with one set to undergo surgery in Scotland before returning to Belgium. A third soldier, who sustained minor injuries, has already been discharged from hospital.
In a statement to the BBC, Belgium’s defence ministry confirmed the injuries and added that around ten other soldiers are believed to have suffered hearing damage.
An official investigation is now under way to determine the precise circumstances of the incident.
The Belgian Prime Minister, Bart De Wever, expressed his support for the injured soldiers and their families, writing on X (formerly Twitter):
“I have received the sad news that three soldiers from the Third Parachute Battalion were injured during an exercise in Scotland. I wish the injured a speedy recovery. My thoughts are with their loved ones.”
Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken also addressed the incident, saying:
“We do everything to train, train and protect our personnel as best we can, but sometimes things don’t go as planned.”
The soldiers involved are part of Belgium’s Third Parachute Battalion, currently undergoing Special Operations Land Task Group (SOLTG) certification, a key milestone for elite forces.
Exercise Red Condor is being conducted in cooperation with the UK Ministry of Defence and is one of the largest Belgian military deployments to the UK in recent years. Over the weekend, large military convoys from the Belgian Armed Forces were seen entering Kinloss Barracks as preparations for the drill intensified.
The MoD has not yet commented publicly on the incident.
