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Peregraf — Italy is preparing to withdraw its remaining troops from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq amid escalating drone attacks linked to the expanding regional conflict.
According to an Italian official, Rome has been gradually pulling forces out of Camp Singara in Erbil since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Before the escalation, more than 300 Italian troops were stationed at the base.
Around 100 soldiers have already returned to Italy, while approximately 70 have been redeployed to Jordan. About 140 Italian troops remain in Erbil for now, though plans to withdraw them have become more urgent following recent security incidents.
The decision gained urgency after a drone struck Camp Singara early Thursday morning. No Italian troops were injured in the attack, but the incident underscored the growing risks facing coalition forces in the Kurdistan Region.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has previously stated that Italy has no intention of joining the regional war. In addition to Iraq, Italy has also withdrawn smaller military units from Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain, according to the official.
Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Region has been hit by a surge of aerial attacks. Nearly 50 drones, missiles, and rockets have targeted various locations across the region over the past two days, according to a senior Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) official.
Aziz Ahmad, Deputy Chief of Staff to KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, said the attacks struck both civilian and military locations.
"The Kurdistan Region of Iraq has been targeted by almost 50 drones, missiles and rockets in the last two days. They have attacked civilian and military locations across our region," Ahmad said.
Ahmad accused Iraqi militias of carrying out many of the attacks, alleging they are backed by the federal government in Baghdad.
"Many of the attacks are by Iraqi militias paid and armed by the Iraqi government," he said, criticizing what he described as Baghdad's failure to respond. "The attacks by these groups have been met with a deafening silence from the Iraqi government — zero condemnation and zero action to remove the criminals in Mosul and Kirkuk who are targeting us."
Security in Erbil deteriorated further overnight when a French soldier was killed following a drone strike on a joint Peshmerga–French military base in the Mala Omar area, within the Peshmerga's Sixth Sector.
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion of the 7th Alpine Hunters Battalion died from injuries sustained in the attack. Six French military trainers were wounded when two drones struck the base.
"Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion of the 7th Alpine Hunters Battalion of Varces has died for France during an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq," Macron wrote in a post on X. "To his family and his brothers-in-arms, I want to express the full affection and solidarity of the Nation."
Macron also condemned the strike, emphasizing that French forces are deployed in Iraq strictly as part of the international coalition fighting the Islamic State.
"This attack against our forces, who have been engaged in the fight against Daesh since 2015, is unacceptable," he 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 Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw, six French military trainers were injured in the overnight strike, one of whom later died from his wounds.
French forces have been stationed in the Kurdistan Region for years as part of the international coalition supporting Kurdish forces in operations 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 300 drones and missiles have struck 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 concerns that the Kurdistan Region could be drawn further into the widening regional confrontation.