French military trainer killed in Iraq: presidency
by AFP Staff Writers
Paris (AFP) Aug 21, 2023

A French military trainer has been killed in Iraq while working alongside Iraqi troops, French authorities said Monday.

The soldier, identified as Nicolas Latourte, "lost his life while accomplishing his mission" on Sunday, the office of President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

His death followed that of another French soldier who was killed a few days ago in a road accident in Iraq.

France has around 600 soldiers taking part in "Operation Chammal" in Iraq, aimed at bolstering the Iraqi national forces and fighting against the Islamic State extremist group.

Latourte was "fatally injured on the sidelines of a training mission for urban combat", the French military said in a statement, without giving further details about the circumstances of the death.

A senior Iraqi military source told AFP on condition of anonymity that Latourte had been working with Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, and had died from a bullet wound sustained "as he was cleaning his weapon".

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