Military wounded in Iraq: what do we know about the drone attack that injured six French soldiers?

Six French soldiers were injured Thursday, March 13, by a drone attack in the Erbil region in Iraqi Kurdistan, the army headquarters announced Thursday evening. These soldiers were “engaged in training actions in the fight against terrorism with Iraqi partners,” the latter specified. They were immediately “taken care of” and transferred “to the nearest medical center,” added the army headquarters. The severity of their injuries is not currently known. According to the governor of the Erbil region, the attack took place on a base located in Mala Qara, about forty kilometers southwest of the capital of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan and involved two drones.

The attack claimed by a pro-Iranian Shiite militia

The attack was claimed by a pro-Iranian Shiite militia, Ahsab al-Kahf, which links it to the arrival of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in the region, stating in a statement that from now on “all French interests in Iraq and in the region will be under attack.”

This base had already been targeted by an attack, hosting soldiers from several countries, including France and Italy, who train members of the Kurdish security forces, recently, without causing injuries. Following this strike, Italy decided to temporarily withdraw its military personnel from this base.

Since the beginning of the war in the Middle East, the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan and Erbil have suffered multiple attacks attributed to pro-Iranian factions, most of which were neutralized by anti-aircraft defense.