Drone attack on base in Makhmour kills French officer Arnaud Frion

French officer Arnaud Frion was killed and six other soldiers were wounded in a drone attack on a joint base of French and Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Makhmour, in Iraq's Erbil province. The incident occurred on Thursday, March 12, 2026, and the casualties were confirmed by French command and local authorities. The attack was carried out using a Shahed-type drone, indicating the use of Iranian-made technology. The affected soldiers were stationed in Iraq as part of the international coalition fighting remnants of the Islamic State. A total of seven French citizens were harmed in the strike.

French forces are in the region as part of a long-term training and advisory mission for local security forces. Operation Chammal, launched in September 2014, constitutes the contribution of the French armed forces to the actions of the international coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria. The operation's name refers to the northwesterly wind blowing in Mesopotamia. Despite the territorial defeat of the caliphate in 2019, coalition forces remain in the region to prevent the resurgence of terrorist structures by training Iraqi and Kurdish units. Colonel François-Xavier de la Chesnais confirmed the type of weapon used, pointing to the precise nature of the strike on the military facility.

President Emmanuel Macron, referring to the tragic incident, declared the intention to maintain the current political course and avoid retaliatory actions. The head of state emphasized that France's military presence in the Middle East is purely defensive and stabilizing. „La position de la France est défensive. Je nie veux pas aujourd'hui évoquer une quelconque forme de scénario de riposte pour ne pas se laisser entraîner dans l'engrenage du conflit” (France's position is defensive. I do not want to evoke any form of retaliation scenario today so as not to be drawn into the conflict spiral) — Emmanuel Macron via Le Parisien This incident fits into a sharp rise in regional tensions that followed US and Israeli strikes on targets in Iran in late February 2026.

The situation in Iraqi Kurdistan remains tense, with experts pointing to increased activity by Tehran-backed Shia militias in response to earlier coalition attacks. Escalation of tensions in the region (2026): February 28 — Strikes on Iran; March 12 — Attack in Makhmour; March 13 — Macron's statement French authorities announced the continuation of the training mission despite the threat, while strengthening security procedures at operational bases in Iraq.