A French Armed Forces officer has died “during an attack” in the Arbil region of Iraqi Kurdistan, French President Emmanuel Macron announced via X in the early hours of this morning.
This is the first death of a French soldier recorded since the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
Lieutenant Arnaud Freon, of the 7th Alpine Rifle Battalion, an infantry unit based in Vars, “fell for France during an attack in the Arbil area of Iraq,” summarized Mr. Macron, also confirming that other soldiers were wounded and stressing that “the war in Iran cannot justify such attacks.”
This is one of a total of six French servicemen wounded in a drone raid yesterday in the Arbil area, the General Staff of National Defence informed the French News Agency yesterday (Thursday).
France’s first loss is being recorded as the war in the Middle East, which was sparked by the US-Israeli bombing of Iran on 28February and has spread to many countries in the region, continues for a 14th day.
This attack “against our forces which have been involved in the fight against Daesh since 2015 is unacceptable,” the French head of state said, referring to the jihadist group Islamic State (IS). He recalled that the presence of French troops “is inscribed in the strict framework of the fight against terrorism.”
“The war in Iran cannot justify such attacks,” he insisted.
According to the French general staff, the military were training their “Iraqi partners” involved “in the fight against terrorism”. It gave no further details.
According to authorities in Arbil, the military were wounded when two drones raided a base in Mala Qara, about forty kilometers southwest of the city.
As part of the US-led international anti-jihadist coalition, soldiers from several countries, including Italy and France, are training members of the Kurdish security forces in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region.
Since the war broke out in the Middle East, Iraqi Kurdistan and Arbil have suffered repeated attacks, attributed in most cases to Iraqi organizations affiliated with Iran. Most have been repelled by air defense systems.
French President Macron has in recent days stressed France’s “defensive role” in the Middle East war.
Paris has sent a powerful air force, including the aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, to the eastern Mediterranean. A total of eight frigates and two helicopter carriers have also been deployed in a vast maritime area, including the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.
