‘It’s not over’: Macron says France staying ‘militarily engaged’ in Middle East

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – France will not be deterred from its goal to defeat ISIS in Syria, President Emmanuel Macron said a day after four US service personnel were killed in northern Syria, where France also has forces. 

“We will remain militarily engaged in the Levant in the international coalition,” he said. 

“The withdrawal from Syria announced by our American ally cannot make us deviate from our strategic objective: eradicate Daesh,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS.

“The fight is not over,” he declared, anticipating that they will see significant success against ISIS in 2019.

He also hailed the major role of their allies on the ground – the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – in victories achieved over ISIS. 

In the weeks and months to come, France will revise its military deployments overseas, Macron said, but will remain invested in stabilization efforts in both Iraq and Syria and an “inclusive” political solution to the conflict in Syria. 

Any rush to withdraw “would be a mistake,” he added. 

France has some 1,200 forces on the ground as part of the global coalition against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. 

The US announced last month it will pull out its 2,000 soldiers from Syria. 

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via Defense News