Ali Makram Ghareeb and Omer Asur Cuhadar
14 March 2026•Update: 14 March 2026
KIRKUK, Iraq / ISTANBUL
A rocket attack targeted a military base that hosts French soldiers near Kirkuk International Airport in northern Iraq, according to local sources.
The base, which houses French troops deployed as part of the Global Coalition against ISIS (Daesh) terror group, was struck by two rockets, the sources told Anadolu.
The attack caused damage to the airport’s runway and triggered a fire at the site, with plumes of smoke seen rising from the area, they added.
No casualties were reported, and Iraqi authorities have not yet issued any official statement on the incident.
On Thursday, the French Armed Forces said six of its soldiers were injured in a drone attack in Erbil in northern Iraq.
The incidents came as tensions across the Middle East have flared up since Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran on Feb. 28, killing so far around 1,300 people, including the then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Tehran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets, resulting in casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure and affecting global markets and aviation.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul
