Peregraf — French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that a French soldier has died following a drone attack that wounded six French troops at a joint Peshmerga–French base in the Erbil region of Iraq.
In a post on X, Macron announced that Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion of the 7th Alpine Hunter Battalion died from injuries sustained in the attack.
"Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion of the 7th Alpine Hunter Battalion of Varces has died for France during an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq," Macron wrote. "To his family and his brothers-in-arms, I want to express the full affection and solidarity of the Nation."
He added that several French service members were wounded in the strike and expressed support for them and their families.
"This attack against our forces, who have been engaged in the fight against Daesh since 2015, is unacceptable," Macron said. "Their presence in Iraq falls strictly within the framework of the fight against terrorism. The war on Iran cannot justify such attacks."
According to Omed Khoshnaw, six French military trainers were injured overnight when two drones targeted a joint Peshmerga–French base in the Mala Omar area within the Peshmerga's Sixth Sector. One of the wounded later died from his injuries, as confirmed by the French president.
French forces are deployed in the Kurdistan Region as part of the international coalition supporting local forces in the fight against the Islamic State.
The attack comes amid an intensifying wave of aerial assaults across the Kurdistan Region. According to Peregraf's follow-up reporting, around 200 drones and missiles have targeted various locations across the Kurdistan Region since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Many of the attacks have been attributed either to Iran or to armed factions affiliated with the so-called "Islamic Resistance," a network of Iran-aligned groups operating inside Iraq.
The escalation coincides with the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, now in its 14th day, raising fears that the Kurdistan Region could be drawn further into the widening regional confrontation.