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Drone strike kills French soldier in Iraqi Kurdistan
A drone strike killed a French soldier in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, France's armed forces ministry said on Friday, after President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the country's first military death in the Middle East war.
Arnaud Frion, 42, was killed in a drone strike and six other soldiers were wounded, the ministry said in a statement.
His commanding officer Colonel Francois-Xavier de la Chesnais said he was struck by an Iranian-designed Shahed attack drone.
But French military spokesman Colonel Guillaume Vernet said it was "premature" to identify the specific model of drone or launch site, adding that an investigation is ongoing.
The soldier "died for France during an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq", Macron posted on X, following the incident on Thursday.
Since US-Israeli strikes on Iran last month engulfed the Middle East in war, multiple attacks attributed to pro-Iranian factions have targeted the Erbil region, where foreign forces are based as part of an international anti-jihadist coalition.
Earlier, a pro-Iranian Iraqi group warned that French interests in the region were targets after the arrival of a French aircraft carrier to "the area of operations of the American Central Command".
The statement on Ashab Alkahf's Telegram channel also warned "our brothers in the security forces" to stay away from a base it said housed French troops.
There was no direct claim of responsibility from the group for the attack.
- 'Solidarity' -
The French military said drones had hit a base where troops were taking part in counter-terrorism training with Iraqi counterparts.
The governor of Erbil said the strike involved two drones and hit a base in Mala Qara, around 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the regional capital.
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani vowed to prevent further attacks after Frion's death.
Sudani expressed his "solidarity" with France in a phone call with Macron. He said that "the necessary measures will be taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents", and an investigation will be conducted into the attack.
Macron has insisted his country's stance in the Middle East war is "strictly defensive".
"The war in Iran cannot justify such attacks," Macron said, calling the strike "unacceptable".
The soldier's death follows a separate drone strike on an Italian base in Erbil, within a military compound that was hosting other foreign troops.
No injuries were reported in that attack, but Italy said it was temporarily withdrawing its military personnel from the base.
Soldiers from several countries, including Italy and France, are training members of the Kurdish security forces in Iraqi Kurdistan as part of the anti-jihadist coalition led by Washington.
burs-ah/ekf/jhb
K. Petersen--BTZ
