ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Friday that a French soldier was killed after a strike on a Peshmerga base near Erbil claimed by a pro-Iran Iraqi militia, asserting that “the war in Iran cannot justify such attacks.”
A base housing both Kurdish and French forces in Makhmour’s Mala Qara was targeted late Thursday night, with Erbil Governor Omed Xoshnaw asserting that two drones were involved in the incident.
The soldier, identified as Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion from the 7th Alpine Chasseurs Battalion based in Varces, “died for France,” Macron wrote on X.
Several other French troops were also wounded in the attack, according to the French president, with Xoshnaw late Thursday having said that six French personnel participating in the Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) were wounded during the strikes.
Macron expressed condolences to the soldier’s family and fellow servicemen, saying the nation stands in solidarity with them and with the wounded troops and their relatives.
“This attack against our forces engaged in the fight against [ISIS] since 2015 is unacceptable,” Macron continued. “Their presence in Iraq is part of the strict framework of the fight against terrorism. The war in Iran cannot justify such attacks.”
Ashab al-Kahf, an Iraqi pro-Iran militia, early Friday claimed responsibility for the attack, citing “the arrival of the French aircraft carrier to the area of operations of the US Central Command and its involvement in operations.”
The Charles de Gaulle carrier set sail toward the Middle East at the behest of Paris following the attack on a British military base in Cyprus, with France having cited protection of its allies and shipping lanes as the reason for the deployment.
“We announce starting tonight that all French interests in Iraq and the region will be under targeting fire,” the group said, urging people to remain at least 500 meters away from the base containing French personnel.
Coalition bases in Iraq have faced repeated attacks since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran, including a separate drone strike on a military site used by Italian forces in Erbil the night before that caused no casualties.
Erbil Governor Xoshnaw criticized Baghdad for failing to control Iran-affiliated factions in the country in the aftermath of the attack, saying, “This is all the movement of the terrorist militias in Iraq and we reiterate that the Iraqi government are not taking it seriously.”
“If these outlaws are part of the Iraqi government, then they are responsible. If they are not, then their security apparatus has a duty of reining these groups in.”
The unchecked activities of such factions has long been a criticism directed from Erbil toward Baghdad, with President Masoud Barzani having warned that the Kurdistan Region’s “patience has limits” amid incessant strikes on the Region.
