French soldier killed, others wounded in attack in Iraq, Macron says

French president condemns ‘unacceptable’ attack in Kurdish Region of northern Iraq.Published On 13 Mar 2026A French soldier was killed in an attack in the Kurdish Region of northern Iraq, French President Emmanuel Macron has said.Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion “died for France” while stationed in the Erbil region, Macron said on Thursday, in what he condemned as an “unacceptable” attack.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Thousands rally in Athens protesting US-Israeli attacks on Iranlist 2 of 4Iranian missile strikes residential area in northern Israellist 3 of 4Israel drops abuse charges against soldierslist 4 of 4Oil stays above $100 a barrel amid Iran’s stranglehold on Strait of Hormuzend of list“Their presence in Iraq is strictly within the framework of the fight against terrorism. The war in Iran cannot justify such attacks,” Macron said in a post on X.Macron said several other soldiers were wounded alongside Frion, without providing details.“France stands by their side and with their loved ones,” Macron said.French forces have been stationed in the region since 2015 as part of an international coalition against ISIL (ISIS).Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Baghdad, Mahmoud Abdelwahed, said the attack and dozens of others have been claimed by the Iraq" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="42834" data-entity-type="organization">Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which includes Iran-aligned armed groups.Iraq has become a “second battlefield” amid the United States-Israeli war on Iran, with Tehran targeting facilities associated with US forces, Abdelwahed said.“We understand that they have been carrying out attacks against US interests, military bases, even the consulate in Erbil, the embassy in Baghdad and the Victory base, which is next to Baghdad International Airport,” he said.Ashab Ahl al-Kahf, a pro-Iranian group in Iraq, said in a statement on Friday that French interests “in Iraq and the region” would be “under targeting fire”, according to the AFP news agency.Macron’s statement came a day after the French military said a drone attack hit a military base in Iraq, according to AFP.