Defence Minister Thabet al-Abbassi attended the signing ceremony for the deal in Baghdad alongside the French ambassador to Iraq, Patrick Durel, and a representative of Airbus Helicopters, the AFP journalist said.

Arnaud Montalvo, head of Airbus Helicopters for the Middle East, said the agreement was for 12 H225M helicopters to be delivered starting in early 2025. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

Durel said the agreement stemmed from "exchanges and discussions" between French President Emmanuel Macron and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

"We can only be pleased that today we have achieved this result, which will allow Iraq to strengthen its capacities and which will allow Iraq to strengthen its sovereignty," he added.

Baghdad and Paris have been working to strengthen bilateral defence ties.

France has deployed troops in Iraq as part of the US-led international coalition set up to fight the Islamic State jihadist group.

Iraq declared victory over IS in late 2017, but jihadist cells remain active, carrying out sporadic attacks, particularly in rural areas.

Baghdad is now seeking to end the coalition's mission and replace it with bilateral military partnerships with other countries, saying its forces can lead the fight against the weakened IS group.

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Airbus Group