French President François Hollande has met French soldiers in Iraq and told them their work against so-called Islamic State (IS) is helping to prevent terrorism at home, reports the BBC.
Mr Hollande is due to discuss the anti-IS fight with senior Iraqi officials.
He is the most prominent head of state to visit Iraq since a US-led 60-member coalition began air strikes against IS.
France's defence ministry says its aircraft have destroyed more than 1,700 targets since joining in 2014.
As part of the coalition there are 500 French soldiers in Iraq, advising local forces.
French special forces are believed to be involved in the battle to drive IS militants out of Mosul, the group's last major stronghold in Iraq.
That offensive began in October and forces launched a fresh push within the last week. They said they had opened new fronts in the city.
"Taking action against terrorism here in Iraq is also preventing acts of terrorism on our own soil," Mr Hollande said at a base of Iraq's elite Counter-Terrorism Service near Baghdad.