Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – A French soldier was killed, and several others were wounded in an attack in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Thursday, condemning the incident as “unacceptable.”
Macron said Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion “died for France” while stationed in the Erbil region, where French forces are deployed as part of an international coalition fighting the Islamic State.
“Their presence in Iraq is strictly within the framework of the fight against terrorism. The war in Iran cannot justify such attacks,” Macron stated in a social media post on X.
Macron added that several other French soldiers were wounded in the attack, but did not provide further details.
“France stands by their side and with their loved ones,” Macron affirmed.
French troops have been deployed in Iraq since 2015 as part of the international coalition against ISIL (ISIS).
According to Al Jazeera correspondent Mahmoud Abdelwahed in Baghdad, the attack is one of dozens claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iran-aligned armed groups.
He said Iraq has become a “second battlefield” amid the broader conflict involving the United States and Israel against Iran, with Iran-backed groups targeting facilities linked to US forces.
Those targets have included the US consulate in Erbil, the embassy in Baghdad, and the Victory Base near Baghdad International Airport, Abdelwahed added.
Another Iran-aligned faction, Ashad Ahl al-Kahf, said in a statement on Friday that French interests “in Iraq and the region” would be “under targeting fire,” as reported by AFP.
Macron’s comments came a day after the French military reported a drone attack struck a military base in Iraq. Military officials indicated that six soldiers were injured in the strike, though it remains unclear whether they were the same soldiers mentioned by Macron.
Separately, Italy said an overnight air strike hit its military base in Erbil, which hosts personnel from NATO. No Italian soldiers were injured.
Earlier this week, Macron announced that France would deploy its flagship aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, to the Mediterranean along with additional air defense units to Cyprus as tensions in the Middle East escalate, according to France 24.
