French President Emmanuel Macron announced that a French soldier was killed in the attack that targeted a joint base of the Peshmerga forces and French troops in Erbil.
Macron wrote on the platform, X: “Warrant Officer Arnaud Friand died for France during an attack in the Erbil area of Iraq.”
He added that “this attack on our forces, who have been participating in the war against ISIS since 2015, is unacceptable,” noting that “their presence in Iraq falls within the framework of counterterrorism.”
Macron also stressed that “the war in Iran cannot justify such attacks.”
The French army had confirmed late Thursday that six of its soldiers were wounded in the attack in Erbil, noting that the injured were immediately transported to the nearest medical facility.
A local source had reported on Thursday night that a joint Peshmerga–French forces base in Erbil had been targeted.