One French Soldier Killed in Attack in Iraqi Kurdish Region

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the death of the first French military personnel in the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict. Macron stated that a French soldier was killed in an attack in the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Since the United States and Israel launched large-scale attacks against Iran in late February, followed by Tehran’s retaliation targeting Washington’s regional bases, the conflict in the Middle East has intensified. Iraq has become one of the countries drawn into the conflict, with several attacks linked to pro-Iran factions targeting bases and positions of foreign forces deployed as part of the international anti-jihadist coalition in Iraqi territory.

In a statement via social media platform X, as reported by AFP on Friday (13 March 2026), Macron announced that a member of the French Armed Forces “fell for France during an attack in the Erbil region, Iraq.” He mentioned that several other French soldiers were wounded in the same attack.

However, Macron did not specify who was behind the attack that killed the French soldier.

Previously, a pro-Iran group operating in Iraq, Ashab Alkahf, had warned that French interests in the country were now targets following the arrival of a French aircraft carrier to the “Central Command operational area.” The statement, delivered via the Ashab Alkahf group’s Telegram channel, also warned “our brothers in the security forces” to stay away from bases that, according to the group, housed French troops.

So far, no direct claim of responsibility for the Erbil attack has been made.

French military officials previously stated that a series of drone strikes hit the base where their troops were conducting counter-terrorism training with Iraqi military counterparts. The Governor of Erbil said the attack in the region involved two drones and struck a base in Mala Qara.

On Thursday (12 March), the French military reported that six people were wounded in the attack. It remains unclear whether the deceased soldier was among those injured.

“War in Iran cannot justify such attacks,” Macron stated firmly, describing such attacks as “unacceptable.” He insisted that his country’s stance in the Middle Eastern conflict was “purely defensive.”