Officials say a drone strike hit a joint Peshmerga-French training site in the Makhmour area, wounding several French soldiers.
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Drone attack in Iraq’s Erbil region kills 1, injures 7 French soldiers at military base
Officials say a drone strike hit a joint Peshmerga-French training site in the Makhmour area, wounding several French soldiers.
A French soldier was killed and several others wounded in a drone attack on a Peshmerga base in Erbil, Iraq. / AA
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion was killed in an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq.
Macron described the assault on French forces as “unacceptable,” paying tribute to Frion’s service and vowing that France would respond appropriately to protect its personnel.
Seven French soldiers have been injured in a drone attack while providing counter-terrorism training, an official said.
The strike targeted a joint Peshmerga-French base in the Makhmour area, according to KRG commander Sirwan Barzani.
It was not immediately clear where the drone had come from.
Speaking to local media, Barzani said the drone strike hit a military training ground used by French forces advising Peshmerga fighters.
"The French soldiers there have no connection to war or conflict. They are simply military advisers legally present in Iraq," he said.
Barzani described the incident as an "unjust act of terrorism" and called on the Iraqi government to prevent similar attacks.
Earlier, Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw said six French soldiers had been wounded in the strike and that four of them were taken to the hospital.
Khoshnaw told local Iraqi media that the attack targeted the sixth axis in Makhmour, where French forces are stationed alongside Peshmerga fighters.
He added that no Peshmerga personnel were injured in the incident.
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