A French soldier was killed in an attack in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, confirming the first death of a French soldier in the Middle East war.
Since the US and Israeli attacks on Iran last month plunged the Middle East into war, multiple attacks attributed to pro-Iran factions have targeted the region where foreign forces are based as part of an international anti-jihadist coalition.
The member of the armed forces “died for France during an attack in the Iraqi region of Erbil,” Macron posted in X, adding that several soldiers were also wounded.
Macron identified the soldier as non-commissioned officer Arnaud Frion of the 7th Battalion of Alpine Hunters of Varces.
He did not say who was behind the attack.
Earlier, a pro-Iran Iraqi group warned that French interests in the region were now targets following the arrival of a French aircraft carrier in “the US Central Command area of operations.”
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The statement on Ashab Alkahf’s Telegram channel also warned “our brothers in the security forces” to stay away from a base he said housed French troops.
The group did not directly claim responsibility for the attack.
The French military previously said drones had attacked a base where troops were taking part in anti-terrorism training with their Iraqi counterparts.
Erbil’s governor said the attack involved two drones and hit a base in Mala Qara, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the regional capital.
The French military said Thursday that six people were wounded in the attack. It was not clear if the soldier who died was among that number.
“The war in Iran cannot justify such attacks,” Macron said, calling the attack “unacceptable.”
The soldier’s death comes after another drone attack against an Italian base in Erbil, within a military complex that housed other foreign troops.
No injuries were reported in that attack, but Italy said it would temporarily withdraw its military personnel from the base.
Soldiers from several countries, including Italy and France, are training members of the Kurdish security forces in Iraqi Kurdistan as part of the anti-jihadist coalition led by Washington.
“Their presence in Iraq falls within the strict framework of the fight against terrorism,” Macron said on Friday, referring to the French troops attacked.
Macron has insisted that his country’s stance in the Middle East war is “strictly defensive.”
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
