French soldier dies in 'operational exercise' in Iraq

A French soldier was killed in Iraq on Sunday "during an operational exercise" while participating in a mission to train Iraqi forces, as announced by the French presidency on Monday. 

President Emmanuel Macron stated on "X" that "Warrant Officer Nicolas Latourte" of the sixth Engineer Regiment "lost his life while performing his duty." He also pointed out that his death occurred days after the death of Sergeant Baptiste Gauchot in a traffic accident, also in Iraq. 

Macron added that "the nation shares the pain of their families and comrades in the nineteenth and sixth Engineer Regiment." 

The soldier was involved in Operation Chammal, the French component of the international coalition founded in 2014 to combat the Islamic State organization in Iraq and Syria. 

In turn, Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed on "X" that the soldier "was participating in a mission to train the Iraqi army in tirelessly combating terrorism.” 

The coalition has not conducted any ground operations since January 2022, according to the ministry's website. Currently, around 600 French soldiers are deployed in Iraq, according to the same source. 

The mission focuses on "air and naval military support to Iraqi security forces," in addition to providing advice to the Iraqi army. 

AFP