Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron in incredible sparring match over IS fighters

US President Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron locked horns on Tuesday. The two leaders sparred during a press conference on the sidelines on the NATO summit. They were discussing the efforts to take back captured IS fighters from Europe. 

Macron and Trump spar

The discussion started over a strange question President Trump asked Macron. He said if Macron wants some nice IS fighters he can give them to him. "You can take everyone you want," Trump said to Macron. Tensions during the bilateral meeting grew when Macron replied, "Let's be serious."

Read: Islamic State Recruit Lisa Smith Arrested In Dublin After Being Deported From Turkey

Trump then praised Macron, terming him a great politician and saying that this is how a politician of Macron's stature ignores a question. Trump said that this was one of the greatest non-answers he has ever heard from a world leader. The question was whether France would take back IS fighters who joined the terror outfit from the European country. 

Read: Around 31 Islamic State Terrorists Surrender To Afghan Security Forces

Macron smartly changed the discourse as he replied that the priority should be something else. According to Macron, the priority for NATO countries should be the recent buildup of the terrorists in the region following the killing of former IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.  

Read: London: Islamic State Claims Responsibility For Bridge Attack That Killed 2, Injured 3

The US and its allies in the region captured over 2,000 terrorists and an estimated 800 of them are thought to be from Europe. All the 2,000 terrorists are currently held by the US-backed Kurdish forces. It was reported that many IS terrorists fled the Kurdish prison after Turkey's invasion of Syria last month. 

Read: Islamic State Group Affiliate Claims French Crash In Mali

Kurdish forces accused the United States of abandoning and leaving them to die in the hands of Turkey after President Donald Trump's decision to pull out US forces from the region. Reportedly, it was because of Kurdish intelligence that the United States was able to eliminate the so-called leader of the caliphate.