Kurdish fighters in northwestern Iraq are charging into battle with a U.S. Army veteran from Wisconsin named Jordan Matson.
The 28-year-old and three other unidentified fighters — two Americans and an Australian national — all joined Kurdish forces through a social media page that documents their plight.
“I decided that if my government wasn’t going to do anything to help this country, especially Kurdish people who stood by us for 10 years and helped us out while we were in this country, then I was going to do something,” Mr. Matson told The Associated Press Wednesday.
The news organization said he gave the interview shortly after engaging members of the Islamic State terrorist group. He wore a “Rambo-style” bandana and a tactical vest with “Christ is Lord” written on the fabric.
“I’m not going back until the fight is finished and [the Islamic State] is crippled. … How many people were sold into slavery or killed just for being part of a different ethnic group or religion? That’s something I am willing to die to defend,” Mr. Matson said, AP reported.
Foreign fighters such as Mr. Matson enter Syria through Turkey, where they then meet up with Kurds operating in Iraq. AP reported that the foreign fighters they spoke to were taking up positions in Sinjar.
SEE ALSO: 100K ground troops needed to defeat Islamic State, former CIA deputy director says
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad did not respond to AP’s request for comment on its story.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.