A shooting incident at a military training base in Scotland has left three Belgian soldiers injured, officials have confirmed. The incident occurred on Monday, 6 May 2025, during Exercise Red Condor at Kinloss Barracks in Moray.
Belgium’s Ministry of Defence stated that two of the injured soldiers are in stable condition. One is expected to undergo surgery in Scotland before returning home. A third soldier suffered minor injuries and has since been discharged from hospital.
An investigation is now underway to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident. Details of how the soldiers were wounded have not yet been made public.
Kinloss Barracks, a former RAF base, is currently hosting around 600 Belgian troops as part of Exercise Red Condor. The operation, conducted in collaboration with the UK’s Ministry of Defence, is designed to prepare Belgium’s Third Parachute Battalion for Special Operations Land Task Group (SOLTG) certification.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever expressed his sympathies in a post on X (formerly Twitter), writing:
“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.”
Belgium’s Defence Minister, Theo Francken, also commented on the incident, saying:
“We do everything to train and protect our personnel as best we can, but sometimes things don’t go as planned.”
In addition to the three injuries, Belgium’s defence ministry confirmed that approximately ten other personnel sustained hearing damage during the same event.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has not yet released a statement. Local witnesses reported seeing large convoys of Belgian Armed Forces vehicles arriving at Kinloss Barracks on Saturday.
Authorities from both nations are cooperating fully to establish how the incident unfolded. Updates are expected as the investigation progresses.
