France withdraws its soldiers from Iraq because of the coronavirus

France has announced the withdrawal of its military forces from Iraq following the decision of the international coalition to suspend "temporarily" the mission to train the Iraqi security forces because of the health crisis caused by the coronavirus epidemic.

In a statement, the Chief of Staff of the French Army indicated that this Thursday, March 26th, the evacuation of its soldiers will begin for an undetermined period, and that they will return to Iraq "as soon as the situation allows it". This affects both the hundred soldiers who were involved in training the Iraqi army and the support elements of the General Staff of the Inherent Resolve (OIR) operation in Baghdad.

Iraq, a country bordering Iran where COVID-19 has already caused nearly 1,700 deaths, has decided to suspend all military training to try to contain the epidemic on its territory. France said it is maintaining its presence in the region because "the fight against Daesh continues".

In practice, that means that the military it has in Kuwait and Qatar will remain, as well as its maritime deployment in the Syrian channel. Above all, his planes will continue to make daily flights from a base in Jordan and another in Qatar. "France will remain resolutely committed to its coalition partners to ensure the lasting defeat of Daesh," the French General Staff stressed.