ISTANBUL

France’s president announced early Friday that a French soldier was killed and several others injured during an attack in Iraq’s Erbil region.

In a statement posted on the US social media company X’s platform, Emmanuel Macron called the attack “unacceptable,” noting that French troops have been engaged in the fight against ISIS (Daesh) since 2015.

“Their presence in Iraq is part of the strict framework of the fight against terrorism. The war in Iran cannot justify such attacks,” he said.

“To his family, to his brothers in arms, I want to express all the affection and solidarity of the Nation,” he added.

Earlier, Kurdish Regional Government commander Sirwan Barzani said that at least seven French soldiers were injured Thursday in a drone attack in Iraq’s Erbil region while providing counter-terrorism training. The origin of the drone was not immediately clear.

“The French soldiers there have no connection to war or conflict. They are simply military advisers legally present in Iraq,” he said.

Barzani described the attack as an “unjust act of terrorism” and called on the Iraqi government to prevent similar incidents.