.webp&w=3840&q=75)
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Baghdad criminal court on Thursday sentenced three men to 15 years in prison under Iraq's anti-terrorism law for launching Katyusha rockets at Camp K1 in Kirkuk province, where French coalition troops and Iraqi counter-terrorism forces were stationed.
A ruling by the Karkh Criminal Court identified the convicted individuals as Abbas Qasim Abbas Kazim al-Nazarli, Mahdi Firas Mustafa Muhammad Baqir al-Bigdeli and Abdullah Zain al-Abidin Haidar Ali al-Mulla.
The ruling said the rockets launched on March 13 landed near a Counter-Terrorism Regiment and the French contingent of the international coalition, with the attack aimed at "destabilize security and stability in the country and spread terror among citizens to achieve terrorist aims."
The ruling did not disclose the men's affiliation. However, the Iraqi armed group Ashab al-Kahf warned in mid-March that French interests in Iraq were "under targeting fire."
"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 group said in a statement.
Operating since 2019, the group is part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), an umbrella coalition for Iran-aligned factions that have claimed responsibility for more than 700 attacks during the conflict against alleged US and coalition assets in Iraq and the region.
The warning came after French President Emmanuel Macron ordered the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to sail to the Mediterranean Sea during the regional conflict that began in late February following a joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran.
Iraqi authorities reported no casualties from the March 13 rocket attack.
On the same day, a drone attack targeted a joint Peshmerga-French military base southwest of Erbil, killing one French service member and wounding at least six others.
Macron described that attack as "unacceptable," adding: "The war in Iran cannot justify such attacks."
.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)
