One French Soldier Killed, Six Wounded In Drone Strike On Base In Iraq’s Erbil, Says Army

New Delhi: One French soldier has been killed and six others wounded after a drone strike targeted a base in northern Iraq’s Erbil region where coalition forces are stationed, according to French authorities.

The soldiers were providing counter-terrorism training to Iraqi partners when the drone attack struck the facility in the Makhmour area, French military officials said. The injured troops were immediately taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion died in the attack, describing him as having “died for France” during the strike in Iraq.

Macron expressed condolences to the soldier’s family and fellow troops and said the attack on French forces was “unacceptable.” He also stressed that France’s presence in Iraq is strictly part of the international fight against the Islamic State group.

The French army earlier said that six soldiers were wounded in the drone attack but did not immediately disclose the nature of their injuries or the origin of the drone.

An officer from the Kurdish Peshmerga forces confirmed that the wounded soldiers were stationed at a coalition base in the region. Erbil Governor Omed Koshnaw said the attack took place in the Makhmour area of Iraqi Kurdistan.

The incident came just hours after another strike targeted a military installation hosting Italian and NATO personnel in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Italian defence ministry said the overnight airstrike on the base was deliberate, though no casualties were reported in that attack.

The strike on French forces occurred amid a surge in drone and missile attacks in Iraq. Iraqi security sources say Shi’ite militia groups have intensified attacks on U.S. and allied interests in the country over the past several days, raising fears of a broader escalation across the region.

France has hundreds of troops deployed in northern Iraq as part of the international coalition fighting Islamic State militants, where they assist in training Iraqi and Kurdish security forces.

The attack also comes as tensions escalate across the Middle East, with coalition bases and foreign military installations increasingly coming under drone and missile fire.

Separately, France has begun deploying about a dozen naval vessels, including an aircraft carrier strike group, to the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and potentially the Strait of Hormuz to provide defensive support to allies threatened by the widening regional conflict.

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