French Soldier Killed, Several Injured in Strike Targeting Joint Peshmerga–French Facility

The President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, and the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, strongly condemned a deadly drone attack on a joint Kurdish–French military base near Makhmour during a phone call following the incident.

The attack, which occurred late Thursday, killed a French soldier and wounded several others at a facility used by Peshmerga forces and French military advisers about 60 kilometers southwest of Erbil.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Barzani expressed condolences to the family of the fallen soldier.

“I extend my sincere condolences to the family of the brave French soldier who sacrificed his life for peace in Kurdistan,” Barzani said.
Earlier on Friday, Macron confirmed the death of Arnaud Frion, a Chief Warrant Officer from the 7th Alpine Hunter Battalion based in Varces.

“Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion died for France during an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq,” Macron wrote on X, adding that he extends the “affection and solidarity of the nation” to the soldier’s family and fellow troops. The French president described the strike as “unacceptable.”

Senior Peshmerga commander Sirwan Barzani told Rudaw that seven French personnel were wounded in the drone attack.

He emphasized that the French forces stationed at the base are military advisers and trainers, legally present in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region as part of international efforts to support Kurdish forces.

“They have nothing to do with war and conflict and are only military advisers,” Sirwan Barzani said.

Meanwhile, Omed Xoshnaw, the governor of Erbil, confirmed that no Peshmerga personnel were injured in the attack.

During his phone call with Macron, President Nechirvan Barzani stressed that the Iraqi government must take responsibility for controlling armed groups operating outside state authority.

“It is the responsibility of the Iraqi government to set limits on illegal groups,” Barzani said, adding that both leaders also emphasized the importance of intensifying diplomatic efforts to stop the war and pursue peaceful solutions to regional tensions.

France currently maintains hundreds of troops in the Kurdistan Region, where they train Peshmerga fighters as part of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS against Islamic State.

Security officials say the Kurdistan Region has endured nearly 300 drone and missile attacks since the start of the broader regional conflict between Iran and the United States–Israel coalition on February 28, raising concerns about further escalation and instability across the region.