French soldier killed, six wounded in drone attack in Iraq

A French Chief Warrant Officer has been killed and six soldiers wounded in an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq. French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed this in a message on social media platform X.

Macron described the attack on French forces in the Erbil region as "unacceptable", stating that the ongoing war involving Iran can in no way justify such an attack.

He said several French soldiers were wounded in the attack, and France stands by them. Deep condolences and solidarity are being extended from the French nation to the family of the deceased soldier and his comrades-in-arms.

The French President said French soldiers were stationed in Iraq as part of ongoing operations against the extremist organisation Islamic State.

Earlier, the French military had reported that six French soldiers engaged in counter-terrorism training with Iraqi partners in the region were wounded in a drone attack.

Several hundred French troops are deployed in Erbil, in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. They are stationed there as part of an international coalition fighting the militant group Islamic State (IS).

The city of Erbil is located approximately 115 kilometres west of the Iranian border.