According to the French Government, two of its soldiers were killed in Iraq this week. Sergeant Baptiste Gauchot of the 19th Engineer Regiment was killed earlier this week in a car accident while Warrant Officer Nicolas Latourte of the 6th Engineer Regiment was killed during an exercise yesterday. The incidents shocked France due to the relatively low number of military deaths in the country since beginning operations there in 2014.
The officials statements on the deaths read below:
“The President of the Republic learned today with deep emotion of the death in Iraq in a traffic accident of Sergeant Baptiste Gauchot of the 19th Engineer Regiment. He was taking part in an Iraqi armed forces training mission.
The President of the Republic joins in the pain of his family and loved ones. He expresses his heartfelt condolences to them. His thoughts are also with his comrades in arms of the 19th Engineer Regiment of Besançon.
The Head of State reaffirms 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.“
“The President of the Republic learned with deep emotion of the death of Warrant Officer Nicolas Latourte of the 6th Engineer Regiment yesterday in Iraq during an operational exercise. He was deployed in operation as part of a partnership training mission with the Iraqi armed forces.
The President of the Republic joins in the pain of his family and loved ones. He expresses his heartfelt condolences to them. His thoughts are also with his comrades-in-arms of the 6th engineer regiment of Angers.
The Head of State reaffirms his support for the Iraqi people and authorities and France’s determination to continue to work alongside them to instruct their security forces in the fight against terrorism.”
France launched Opération Chammal in 2014 to help curtail the expansion of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and to support the Iraqi Army. As of 2019, only two other French troops have died in the country, making this week the deadliest for France in Iraq for the entire operation.
On 23 September 2017, an operator from the 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment, Adjudant-chief Stéphane Grenier, was killed in combat. On 21 March 2018, a legionnaire from the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment, Caporal Bogusz Pochylski, became the second French soldier at the time to die during Chammal.
