TheThe Élysée Palace said in a statement that President Emmanuel Macron had "learned with great sadness" of the death of a soldier from the 13th regiment of paratroopers who was killed in combat in the Levant, reports FRANCE 24.
The French military operation in Iraq and Syria, known as Opération Chammal, is part of the US-led coalition of nations battling the Islamic State group. Military sources told AFP that it was the first French casualty since Chammal was launched in September 2014.
French forces are involved in several overseas military theatres, while a major domestic military deployment also remains active as part of anti-terrorism measures under Opération Sentinelle.
Former military general Dominique Trinquand, who once led the French military mission at the UN, told FRANCE 24 that French forces have been in Iraq "for a while" and in Syria since at least the spring.
