Seargant Baptiste Gauchot “died in Iraq in a traffic accident during a training mission for the benefit of the Iraqi army,” France’s armed forces ministry said late Friday. He succumbed to his injuries after undergoing emergency surgery at an Erbil hospital.
A soldier who accompanied him was also critically injured and is receiving treatment at a Baghdad military hospital.
French President Emmanuel Macron “learned with deep emotion of the death in Iraq in a traffic accident” and “joined in the pain of his family and loved ones,” the Elysee Palace said in a statement.
Macron “reaffirmed his support for the Iraqi people and authorities and France’s determination to continue to work alongside them to train their security forces who are fighting terrorism” in the statement.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani offered his condolences to Gauchot’s family, Macron, and the French people upon receiving the news of his death.
“The people of Kurdistan appreciate the support and assistance of the French military within the framework of the International Coalition Forces Against ISIS [Islamic State], who continue to provide support and assistance to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region for the eradication of terrorism,” President Barzani said on Saturday.
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also expressed his condolences, saying that the Region joins “the French government and people in mourning the loss” of Gauchot and offering his best wishes for the “swift recovery of the wounded soldier” currently receiving treatment in Baghdad.
