French President Emmanuel Macron said that the death of four American service-members in northern Syria indicated that the battle against the Islamic State was not over. In a traditional new year address the French leader made to members of the French armed forces, President Macron vowed to continue the battle against the extreme Muslim groups in the Levant, as part of an international military coalition. “The fight is not over and here I particularly want to spare a thought for our four American friends killed in Syria because Islamist terrorists are still there, and they targeted them.” / “That’s why our army will remain militarily engaged in the Levant, as part of the international military coalition during the coming year. We will adapt our military mobilization more generally to suit our operations and the political situation because our political objective in the region is general stability, the only thing that will allow us to push back terrorists and avoid new resurgence,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.
It is important to note that while Washington plans to pull out its ground forces from Syria, it vowed to continue its aerial support of forces battling the Islamic State. Furthermore, in a statement reaffirmed earlier this week by Vice President Mike Pence, the United States plans to maintain its presence in the region to assure that the extreme Muslim group does not reemerge, ever again.