Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has welcomed US air strikes against an Iran-backed militia that killed British and American soldiers in Iraq.

Mr Raab called the attacks on the Iranian-sponsored Shia militia group Kataib Hezbollah "swift, decisive and proportionate" in a statement.

Lance-Corporal Brodie Gillon was killed on Wednesday in a missile attack by Kataib Hezbollah, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Two American soldiers also died in the attack. 14 more service people were injured.

And the US defence department said on Thursday evening that American counter strikes had targeted weapons storage facilities, to hamper the group's military efforts.

Mr Raab said: "The response to the cowardly attack on Coalition forces in Iraq has been swift, decisive and proportionate.

He added that work to identify the people responsible for the attack on Ms Gillon was ongoing.

Mr Raab continued: “UK forces are in Iraq with Coalition partners to help the country counter terrorist activity and anyone seeking to harm them can expect a strong response.”

Ms Gillon's killing was the first time a British soldier has died from enemy fire since the UK and its allies began the operation to counter Islamic State in 2014.

Defence secretary Ben Wallace said: "The coalition stands shoulder to shoulder in Iraq."

"Our forces work together to help the country resist the malign activity of terrorists."

Mr Wallace added: "When we and others are attacked we reserve the right to defend ourselves.

"We support the right of the United States to defend themselves, as they have done.

"We reiterate that those who seek to harm our armed forces can expect to receive a strong response."

The US defence department described yesterday's attack as "defensive precision strikes".

US defence secretary Mark Esper said: “The United States will not tolerate attacks against our people, our interests, or our allies”

"As we have demonstrated in recent months, we will take any action necessary to protect our forces in Iraq and the region.”

The original attack was filmed and posted on Twitter by Iraqi journalist Ali Al Dulaimy.

Mr Al Dulaimy told the PA news agency through a translation tool: "I heard screams and panic at the American forces inside the camp, and they were rushing to extinguish the fires that devoured the camp.”

“There were soldiers shouting and sirens."

The US state department has designated Kataib Hezbollah a "foreign terrorist organisation" since 2009.

In December last year the group killed an American contractor in a military base in Iraq, prompting counter strikes from the US.

These were followed by protests outside the US embassy in Tehran.

In January 2020 the US launched an air strike that killed Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, leaders of the Iran-backed militias in Iraq, which include Kataib Hezbollah.

The Ministry of Defence said in January that there were around 400 British servicepeople in Iraq.