France Condemns Drone Strike in Kurdistan Region Amid ISIS Fight

A French soldier was killed and several others wounded in a drone attack in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, marking France’s first military fatality since the start of the current war in the Middle East. French authorities have condemned the strike as ‘unacceptable’ and French troops have been engaged in counter-terrorism training missions in the region since 2015. The attack targeted a joint Peshmerga-French base in the Makhmour area. The incident occurred hours after a separate drone strike hit an Italian military facility in Iraqi Kurdistan without causing casualties. France is deploying naval vessels to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea as part of defensive support to allies threatened by the conflict. This report is based on a message from French President Emmanuel Macron and multiple media outlets, including Le Monde.