A French soldier was killed by a drone attack, assumed to be carried out by pro-Iranian forces, in Iraqi Kurdistan, marking the first death of European troops in the Iran war.
On the 13th, a French soldier died following a drone attack in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, near the Iranian border, which is suspected to be the work of pro-Iranian groups. This incident marks a significant moment as it is the first recorded death of European forces in the ongoing conflict related to Iran. President Emmanuel Macron announced on social media that Sergeant Arnaud Frion of the 7th Mountain Infantry Battalion was killed while serving France during this attack, which also left several other French troops injured.
Macron's response highlights the serious implications of this attack amid continued military confrontations involving U.S. and Israeli forces against Iran. He emphasized that the occurrence of war in Iran does not justify such attacks but refrained from labeling the specific perpetrators. According to reports from the AFP, the drone strike targeted the French troops conducting anti-terror training alongside Iraqi forces at the Malakara base. Following the strike, it was noted that Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated pro-Iranian entities have consistently targeted this region since the war's outbreak, indicating the broader geopolitical tensions at play.
This attack coincided with a recent drone attack on an Italian base in the same military complex, which previously resulted in no casualties when Italian troops took cover during an air raid alert. Both French and Italian forces, part of a coalition led by the U.S. in anti-terror operations, are stationed in the Kurdistan region to train Kurdish security forces. President Macron has characterized their presence as strictly defensive, clarifying that their mission is not an engagement in the Iran war but aimed at stabilizing the region against terrorism.
