One French soldiers was killed, six were wounded in drone strike on base in Iraq’s Makhmour
The French army and the governor of Erbil confirmed that the soldiers were injured after a drone attack on the base.
A French soldier was killed and at least five others injured Thursday in a drone attack targeting a joint Peshmerga-French base in the Makhmour region of Iraq, French President Emmanuel Macron announced.
“Today, six French soldiers providing anti-terrorism training with Iraqi partners were injured after a drone attack in the Erbil region in Iraq,” the French army said in a statement, specifying that they had been transported to the nearest medical establishment.
Macron called the attack “unacceptable” and said French troops were stationed in the region as part of France’s support in the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
He also announced that the soldier killed in the incident was chief warrant officer Arnaud Frion of the 7th battalion of Alpine hunters from Varces. “To his family, to his brothers in arms, I would like to express all the affection and solidarity of the Nation,” he added.
The news came after Erbil Governor Omed Koshnaw said in a statement that the drone attack took place in the Makhmour area, with a security source briefed on the incident confirming the information to Reuters.
A similar event occurred earlier Thursday, when a drone struck an Italian base near Erbil, in what Italy’s defense minister said was targeting a facility housing NATO personnel amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.
No one was injured in the attack on the Singara camp in Erbil, Italian authorities said. “Absolutely yes. It is a NATO base as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, so it is also an American base,” Minister Guido Crosetto told Italian public broadcaster RAI, when asked if the attack was intentional.
France deploys a dozen warships, including its aircraft carrier strike group, to the Mediterranean, Red Sea and potentially the Strait of Hormuz, as part of defensive support for allies threatened by the Middle East conflict.
Macron promises to protect Cyprus and Europe from Iran
Macron promised that Europe would protect Cyprus, the first state on the continent to be directly affected by the war in Iran, during a visit to the Mediterranean country on Monday.
Macron made his statement of support during a visit to Paphos, a city in Cyprus, where he met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.
“The defense of Cyprus is obviously a key issue for your country, for your neighbor, partner and friend, Greece, but also for France and, with it, the European Union,” Macron said, with Mitsotakis adding that “we will not accept that the slightest piece of European territory, like Cyprus, is exposed to danger.”
Cyprus was the first European country to report a drone attack on one of its bases, a source confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that additional missiles fired during the first days of the war were also intended to reach Cyprus, but were unsuccessful.
Miriam Sela-Eitam and Tzvi Jasper contributed to this story.
