First French Soldier Killed in Middle East Escalation in Erbil
ARK News.. Emmanuel Macron, President of France, announced the death of the first French soldier since the outbreak of the current confrontations in the Middle East, following a drone attack targeting French forces stationed in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Macron mourned the soldier, Arnaud Freyron, a warrant officer, in a post on the X on Friday, March 13, 2026, stating that he “died for France” during the attack that occurred in Erbil and also left several other soldiers wounded.
Earlier, the French Armed Forces General Staff reported that six people were injured in an attack carried out by two drones targeting the Mulla Qarah Base, located about 40 kilometers southwest of Erbil.
The attack took place while French forces were participating in joint counter terrorism training exercises with Iraqi Armed Forces. It was not immediately clear whether the killed soldier was among the six previously reported injured.
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