ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A shadowy Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group on Friday announced that French interests in Iraq and across the region would be “under targeting fire,” following the arrival of a French aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, to the region. The statement came as French President Emmanuel Macron announced the death of a French soldier and the injury of several others in an attack in the Kurdistan Region.
In a statement shared on its Telegram channel, the Ashab al-Kahf militia, a shadowy group operating under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) entity, said that “following the arrival of the French aircraft carrier in the operational area of United States Central Command [CENTCOM] and its involvement in [military] operations, we announce from tonight that all French interests in Iraq and the region will be under targeting fire.”
The French president last week said he had ordered Paris’ aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, along with its air assets and frigate escort, to set course for the Mediterranean. “We have economic interests to protect, and with oil prices, gas prices, and international trade deeply disrupted by this war, we are taking the initiative to build a coalition,” Macron then said.
Ashab al-Kahf added, “We call on our brothers to stay at least 500 meters away from the area containing the French force at K1 [Air] Base to ensure their safety.”
The K1 Air Base is located around 15 kilometers northwest of the city of Kirkuk, where French forces maintain a presence as part of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS).
Ashab al-Kahf is a shadowy armed group that emerged in 2019 and has claimed several attacks on US interests in Iraq, including the American embassy in Baghdad.