A French soldier died “during an attack” in the Erbil region of Iraqi Kurdistan, French President Emmanuel Macron announced, marking the first death recorded in the French army during the Middle East war.
“Warrant officer Arnaud Frion, of the 7th Alpine Hunter Battalion in Varces, died for France during an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq,” Macron wrote on Thursday night, confirming that several French soldiers were injured.
The conflict in the Middle East began with Israeli and American attacks against Iran on February 28 and has since spread to several countries in the region.
Since the start of the war, seven American soldiers have been killed in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, according to the United States (US) military’s Central Command.
The attack in Erbil targeted anti-terrorist forces, the French president said.
As part of an international coalition to combat Islamic fundamentalism, led by Washington, military personnel from several countries, including Italy and France, are training members of the Kurdish security forces in Iraqi Kurdistan.
“The war in Iran does not justify such attacks,” Macron emphasized.
The Iraqi armed group Ashab al-Kahf announced today, on the messaging platform Telegram, that it was attacking French interests in the region, after sending the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the Gulf.
“Following the arrival of the French aircraft carrier in the US Central Command area of operations and its involvement in operations, we announce that, starting tonight, all French interests in Iraq and the region will be targeted,” declared the pro-Iran group.
Ashab al-Kahf urged security forces to maintain a distance of at least 500 meters from a base in Kirkuk (northern Iraq), where he claimed French military personnel were deployed.
However, the group did not explicitly claim responsibility for the attack.
Lusa
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