France will continue its deployment in Iraq to fight against ISIS

Baghdad – ‘ISIS is not finished, neither is the threat posed by this terrorist organisation. All countries must be more vigilant against this menace and prioritise the fight against ISIS,’ said French President Emmanuel Macron. Although the United States has withdrawn troops from Iraq, President Macron has said that French troops will continue to be stationed in Iraq. With the announcement at a meeting in Iraq, the French President appears to have expressed displeasure regarding the Biden administration’s stance on Afghanistan.

The Iraqi government convened a regional meeting. France is the co-host of the meeting. Through this meeting, France appealed to countries in the region to boost Iraq’s economy and Iraq’s progress. The meeting was attended by bitter rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran and the heads of state and foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar. At the meeting, the French President spoke on Iraq’s development and the fight against terrorism.

Speaking on the fight against ISIS and terrorism, French President Macron targeted the United States. ‘Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is not finished yet.’ ‘The question is, what will the United States do about the deployment of troops in Iraq? But French troops will continue to be deployed in Iraq to fight terrorism.’ said Macron. Macron said, adding that the threat posed by the group remains.

At the same time, all countries in the region should be more vigilant against this threat and prioritise the fight against ISIS, Macron appealed. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi also said France was an important ally in the fight against terrorism.

For the past few days, French President Macron has openly expressed his displeasure over the Biden administration’s stand. Macron had blamed the US withdrawal for the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. A few days ago, even at the G7 meeting, President Macron slammed US President Joe Biden’s military withdrawal from Afghanistan. President Macron had called on the United States to accept moral responsibility for the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan.

The White House mentioned in the official statement that the French President had criticised the US president. But after the media reported the matter, the White House released a new statement removing the mention of the French President. The British press then said that Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, had also targeted Biden. This makes it clear that European allies are unhappy with the Biden administration’s stand on Afghanistan.

Against this backdrop, the French President appears to have used the meeting in Iraq to attack the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan and its anti-IS policy.