A French soldier has died and five others have been injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq, as reported by the State Department on Thursday. The soldiers were participating in counter-terrorism training activities with "Iraqi partners" in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq.
The attack took place on a shared joint base with soldiers from other countries, including Italy and the United States, in the so-called Makhour sector. The French soldiers were immediately transported to a nearby medical center and treated for various injuries.
"Sergeant Arnaud Frion, from the 7th Battalion of Alpine Hunters of Varces, died for France during an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq," wrote Emmanuel Macron on the social network X, confirming that several French soldiers were injured.
"This attack against our forces engaged in the fight against IS since 2015 is unacceptable," added the president in reference to the Islamic State group, specifying that "their presence in Iraq is part of the strict framework of the fight against terrorism."
The French president concluded that "the war in Iran cannot justify such attacks," but did not identify a responsible party.
While Macron announced the death of the soldier, the pro-Iranian group Ashab Alkahf warned that they will attack "all French interests in Iraq and the region" following the deployment of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Gulf.
The armed group urged residents to stay at least 500 meters away from a base where, they said, French soldiers are located, without directly claiming the previous attack mentioned by the authorities.
Since the start of the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, the Iraqi Kurdistan region has been the target of multiple attacks attributed to pro-Iranian factions. Although most have been neutralized by air defenses, drones have caused panic this week and caused at least a minor explosion at the Erbil airport, which also houses American military facilities.
Around 275 Spanish soldiers are currently stationed in Iraq, participating in training the local army as part of the international coalition against the Islamic State. The mission, linked to NATO, began in 2014 and expanded in 2018 to advising the Iraqi government.
The attacked base is shared with the Peshmerga, the security forces of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. "There was no one from our personnel at the base when it was hit," stated the governor of Erbil, Omed Koshnaw, who pointed to the possible origin of the drones: "This is the work of terrorist militias operating in Iraq, and the Iraqi government is not taking it seriously, although we have repeatedly warned of the danger."