French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that France will not “deviate” from its efforts to defeat ISIS in Syria despite President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from the country.

 

“The retreat from Syria announced by our American friends cannot make us deviate from our strategic objective: eradicating Daesh,” Macron said during a speech in southern France, according to Agence France-Presse.

 

{mosads}Daesh is the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Macron added that “the fight is not over” and that “any rush to withdraw would be a mistake.”

The French president has previously criticized Trump’s decision to remove roughly 2,000 U.S. forces from Syria.

“I very deeply regret the decision made on Syria,” Macron said last month. “To be allies is to fight shoulder to shoulder. It’s the most important thing for a head of state and head of the military. An ally should be dependable.”

Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria prompted the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis and sparked bipartisan backlash in Congress.

A number of GOP lawmakers, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a vocal ally of Trump on many issues, urged Trump to reconsider the decision.

Trump on Wednesday told a group of Republican senators that he plans to move forward with the plan to withdraw troops from Syria as well as Afghanistan.