ERBIL — A French soldier was killed and six others were wounded in a drone attack on a joint base used by French forces and the Peshmerga near Makhmour late Thursday, marking the first confirmed French military death linked to the widening regional war.
Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw said two drones struck the base on the Mela Qarada axis near Makhmour at about 10:30 p.m. He said the base hosts French troops who train Peshmerga forces and added that no Peshmerga members were injured in the strike. Reuters and other outlets reported that six French soldiers were wounded in the attack.
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Friday that one French service member had died. Reports identified him as Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion. Macron condemned the attack and said French troops in Iraq are deployed as part of counter-terrorism efforts with Iraqi partners.
The strike adds to a fast-growing list of attacks on the Kurdistan Region since the regional war began on Feb. 28 after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Since then, bases, airports, oil facilities, diplomatic sites and some civilian areas in Erbil and Slemani have come under repeated drone, missile and rocket fire.
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The Makhmour attack also highlights the pressure now facing foreign forces stationed in the Kurdistan Region as part of the international coalition against داعش. France has maintained a military presence in Iraq to support training and anti-terror operations, especially in cooperation with Iraqi and Kurdish forces.
No group had formally claimed the Makhmour attack at the time of reporting, but recent strikes across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have widely been linked by international media and regional officials to Iran-backed armed factions.
The incident is likely to deepen concern in Erbil and among coalition partners as attacks continue to spread across the region, even as Kurdish and Iraqi officials have said they do not want their territory dragged further into the conflict
