French Soldier Killed in Iranian Drone Strike on Base in Iraq

A French serviceman was killed in a nighttime Iranian drone strike on a military base in Iraq.

Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, announced this.

The drones struck a joint base used by the Peshmerga, the armed forces of Iraqi Kurdistan, and the French military contingent near the city of Erbil.

Preliminary reports say at least six French soldiers were wounded in the attack.

The serviceman who was killed has been identified as Senior Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion from the 7th Battalion of Alpine Chasseurs.

This is the first recorded French casualty since the start of the U.S. and Israeli military operation against Iran.

Local sources reported that several explosions occurred at the military facility during the attack, and fires broke out in some areas.

At this base, French troops had been training Iraqi forces as part of the international mission to combat the Islamic State.

Iran’s strikes on foreign bases in the region

Previously, Iran also struck a base of Italian troops in Erbil. After the attack, Italy announced that it would temporarily withdraw all of its personnel from the military base in Iraqi Kurdistan.

A similar situation occurred on the night of March 10, when a German field camp at Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan was shelled by Iranian ballistic missiles.

German troops managed to move to shelters in time, which helped avoid casualties.

The main task of the units stationed at the air base in Jordan is to support operations in the region using aerial refueling aircraft.