1 hour ago
Last Updated:March 13, 2026, 07:12 IST
France has hundreds of troops based in the Erbil region as part of a broader international coalition to fight Islamic State militants in the area.
Six French soldiers providing counter-terrorism training in northern Iraq were wounded in Iraq. (Image: Reuters)
One French soldier was killed while six are injured while providing counter-terrorism training in northern Iraq after a drone attack in the Erbil region of Iraq, France’s army said on Thursday. The injuries were reported just hours after an Italian base was targeted in the area.
Confirming the first French military death in the Middle East war, President Emmanuel Macron took to X and wrote, “A member of the armed forces died for France during an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq."
The French army, in a statement, said, “Today, six French soldiers providing counter-terrorism training to Iraqi partners were wounded after a drone attack in the Erbil region of Iraq." It added that the soldiers adding that they had been taken to the nearest medical facility.
The statement did not reveal details on the nature of their injuries or the origins of the drone.
An officer from the regional Kurdish Peshmerga forces said the wounded soldiers were stationed at the base where coalition forces are based. Erbil Governor Omed Koshnaw said in a statement that the drone attack was in the Makhmour area.
France has hundreds of troops based in the Erbil region as part of a broader international coalition to fight Islamic State militants in the area.
As per Reuters, Iraqi Shi’ite militants have picked up the pace of drone and missile attacks on US interests in Iraq in the last three to four days, according to three Iraqi security sources and two sources close to the groups.
France is deploying about a dozen naval vessels, including its aircraft carrier strike group, to the Mediterranean, Red Sea and potentially the Strait of Hormuz as part of defensive support to allies threatened by the conflict in the Middle East.
First Published:
March 13, 2026, 07:04 IST
News world One French Soldier Killed, Six Wounded In Drone Strike On Base In Iraq’s Erbil Region
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