French soldier killed in Erbil drone attack as tensions rise in Middle East
France says one of its soldiers died in an attack on a base in the Erbil region of northern Iraq, the first fatality among European forces deployed in the Middle East since the Iran-related crisis began late last month. President Emmanuel Macron announced in an early-morning post on X that a French anti-ISIS mission participant was killed and that several others were wounded, adding that the attack “cannot be tolerated.”
Le Monde, citing French defense sources, reported that the French base in the Erbil area was struck by a drone attack, leaving one dead and five wounded. The French government has not publicly identified the base, but the Erbil region hosts facilities used by French forces as part of the coalition effort against ISIS.
Ashab al-Khaf, an Iraq-based militia aligned with Iran, issued a Telegram statement warning that French assets in Iraq and the broader region would be attacked starting tonight, and telling residents to stay at least 500 meters away from French bases. The group also criticized France for deploying the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the eastern Mediterranean.
France has deployed the Charles de Gaulle and accompanying ships to the Middle East to protect nationals and support allies, while maintaining its participation in the US-led coalition against ISIS in Iraq. In Erbil, French troops are part of efforts to train Iraqi security forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga in the region.
Erbil sits in Iraq’s Kurdish autonomous region, where Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga have long conducted joint training missions. Western forces maintain a presence in the area despite ISIS’s territorial defeat in 2017-2019, citing persistent underground threats from ISIS and its affiliates.
On the morning of the 12th, an Italian military base in Erbil was targeted by Iran-made Shahed drones, with no reported casualties. Italy announced it would temporarily withdraw its deployed troops as a precaution amid the broader regional tensions.
This episode matters for the United States and its allies because it underscores ongoing security risks faced by Western forces in the Middle East, even as ISIS remains a latent threat and Iran’s proxies continue to posture against coalition partners. For U.S. readers, it highlights the durability of multinational military commitments in the region, potential implications for alliance coordination and defense postures, and the resilience of regional supply chains and markets tied to security arrangements and energy routes.