A French soldier has been killed and several others wounded following a drone attack targeting French forces near Erbil in the autonomous region of Kurdistan Region.
The death was confirmed by Emmanuel Macron, who stated that a member of the armed forces “died for France during the attack in the Erbil region of Iraq.”
The soldier was identified as Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion from the 7th Alpine Chasseurs Battalion, based in Varces, France. Macron expressed his condolences to the soldier’s family and comrades, emphasizing the nation’s solidarity with them.
Several other French soldiers were injured in the incident. Earlier, the French military had reported that six soldiers were wounded during the drone attack while conducting training exercises.
According to French military officials speaking to AFP, the troops were engaged in counterterrorism training activities with Iraqi partners when the attack occurred. The injured soldiers were immediately transported to the nearest medical facility for treatment.
Authorities in Erbil said two drones were involved in the attack, which struck a base in Mala Qara, located about 40 kilometers from Erbil.
This marks the first fatality among French forces in the Middle East since the escalation of the new regional conflict, which intensified last month following airstrikes by the United States and Israel against Iran.
Macron described the attack as “unacceptable,” noting that French forces have been deployed in Iraq since 2015 as part of the international coalition fighting Islamic State.
He also stressed that France’s military presence in the region is strictly focused on counterterrorism operations, adding that the conflict involving Iran “cannot justify such attacks.”
The drone strike followed another recent attack targeting an Italian base in Erbil within the same military complex hosting foreign troops. While no casualties were reported in that earlier incident, Italy later announced the temporary withdrawal of its military personnel from the base.
Soldiers from several countries, including France and Italy, are deployed in Iraqi Kurdistan as part of the U.S.-led international coalition training Kurdish security forces to combat extremist groups.
