Exclusive: Interview with a medic in the shadow of hope
We will run out of bandages before they run out of bullets, which is how we at Shadows of Hope justify picking up rifles and doing what we do.
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I volunteered to fight in Syria…and ended up in a Kurdish prison
I had an opportunity to chat with a friend of mine, Red, who went to fight for the Kurdish Peshmerga, but instead ended up incarcerated.
American in the Peshmerga recounts firefights with ISIS
Erwin Stran, a former Army MP and volunteer fighter with the Kurdish Peshmerga, sits down with SOFREP for an exclusive interview.
Exclusive: Watch Peshmerga snipers in action (video)
The Peshmerga have a very unique method of utilizing their snipers, probably most closely resembling that of the sharpshooters in World War I.
Foreign volunteer soldiers in Syria and Iraq: The end of an era
The proverbial gravy train had to get to the end of the line sometime, right? I’m talking about being a volunteer fighter in Kurdistan—an end of an era.
Foreign Volunteers in Kurdistan: Some Should Have Stayed Home
A volunteer should try to fill every facet of their role that is plausible. In other words, make yourself useful to the people you claim you want to aid.
Amnesty International’s Horribly Wrong Report on Ethnic Cleansing in Kurdistan
Amnesty International has accused the Kurds in both Rojava and Bashur of human-rights violations.
What Happens When ISIS Loses?
Of course their tactics will continue to evolve even after the last Daesh bastions have fallen. They will shave their beards, throw on their civis, and melt back into the populace—a vanishing act all too familiar to them.
Fighting ISIS: A Look at the Handguns of the Kurdish Peshmerga
Basically, there are three handguns that you are most likely to see on a Peshmerga officer’s hip: a Glock 19, a Walther P1/P-38, or an HS2000.
Acquiring a Pistol in Kurdistan: No Easy Task
A pistol is more of a status symbol than a matter of practicality to the Kurds. That’s not to say they don’t serve a purpose, just not the way they do in the West.
In Remembrance: John Gallagher, Peshmerga and YPG Volunteer Fighter
John was the kind of guy who wasn’t afraid to stand by his ideals even if the world was against him. I learned this about him very quickly from early on. We first met early in 2015, in Daquq at the Peshmerga’s 9th Brigade. He seemed eager to get into the action and mix it […]
The Fate of FOB Warrior in Iraq
It’s been quite some time since the “end” of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and the point where the last of the U.S. military’s forces egressed out of their respective AOs. But the remnants of their time here can still be found from time to time. In particular, a large footprint can be found deep in Kirkuk, at […]
