Since August 18, three military personnel have died in Iraq. On X (ex-Twitter), Emmanuel Macron hailed soldiers who “defended our ideals”. “Faced with terrorism, France will not back down,” said Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu.
These soldiers were engaged in Operation Chammal. The objectives of this operation, launched in 2014, have evolved over the years, from the military defeat of Daesh to the fight against terrorism and the training of the Iraqi army.
In 2014, at the invitation of the Iraqi government, a coalition of 80 countries was formed with the aim of retaking territories taken from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Daesh) in Iraq and Syria. The United States are the main contributors, in particular with an air force which carries out the vast majority of the bombings. France, through its Chammal operation, carries out 10% of air strikes, and supports ground troops with Caesar guns and special forces. French involvement is at its peak between 2015 and 2017, with the takeover in this last year of the “capital” cities of the terrorist organization: Mosul (Iraq) in July and Raqqa (Syria) in October.
It is the end of the territory of the caliphate, Daesh returns to clandestinity and the device of the Chammal operation decreases in volume. It now includes 600 French soldiers, including around 100 special forces, divided between Iraq (Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan), Syria, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates; 10 Rafale (based in Jordan and United Arab Emirates) and 1 frigate (Mediterranean Sea). Radar, surveillance and refueling planes complete the system from time to time.
Despite everything, “the terrorist threat has been contained but it remains present”, judges Héloïse Fayet, researcher specializing in armed forces in the Middle East at the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri), author of a report on the strategic posture from France to the Middle East. “Apart from an objective of stabilizing the country, France also remains on the spot in order to avoid the resurgence of the group, which could then plan again terrorist attacks targeting Europe from Iraq and Syria. »
In August 2022, the UN reported that, although weakened, Daesh remained threatening, with up to 10,000 fighters, located in particular in northeastern Syria and central-eastern Iraq. Proof of this is the death of Sergeant Nicolas Mazier, of the Air Paratrooper Commando No. 10, on August 28, during a mission to support the fight against terrorism. Four other French soldiers were also injured along with three Iraqis in the clash, located about 100 kilometers north of Baghdad in an area known to harbor jihadists. “According to the Iraqi press, the air force carried out strikes against a known position of Daesh, and the French soldiers then accompanied an Iraqi army unit to carry out a battle damage assessment” , explains Héloïse Fayet. “It’s standard procedure. »
The Nation is once again mourning one of its sons. While on a counterterrorism mission in Iraq, Sergeant Nicolas Mazier came under enemy fire. I extend my condolences to his family, loved ones and brothers in arms. Faced with terrorism, France will not back down.
The Iraqi soldiers, accompanied by French special forces operators, would then have fallen into an ambush. “This shows that Daesh analyzes and adapts its modes of action according to the habits of its adversaries”, deciphers the researcher. On the other hand, it is too early to know whether the presence of the French soldiers was known or not in advance by Daesh.
In addition to the fight against terrorism, Operation Chammal includes a training component for the Iraqi army. It was in this context of “advice, assistance and empowerment” activities that two other French soldiers died: Sergeant Baptiste Gauchot of the 19th Engineer Regiment, on August 18, during a road trip of his vehicle and Warrant Officer Nicolas Latourte of the 6th Engineer Regiment, on August 20, on the sidelines of a combat training exercise in an urban area.
This support from the Iraqi partner should intensify in the coming months. In Iraq, on July 18, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, met his Iraqi counterpart and announced that a two-year training course would be put in place. A total of 80 French instructors are expected to train 2,100 soldiers to create “desert battalions”. “It should look like mini-GTIAs [interarms tactical group, editor’s note] on the model of the training carried out by the Takuba task force, but we still have few details”, points out Héloïse Fayet.
A paradigm shift, however, after several years where, due to a lack of sufficient resources, priority was given to the training of elite units, such as the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service, of which the famous Golden Division is a part. As a result, conventional units were neglected and unable to hold ground while elite units were over-employed. “The military aspect will not be enough to eradicate the threat, points out Héloïse Fayet, however, the solution will be political by responding to social and economic problems. »
