Why the Kurds are weary of foreign volunteers

Much of this will fall on deaf ears and many will continue to live in denial but the Kurdish people have grown incredibly weary of foreign volunteers over the course of their war with ISIS. This is due to several key factors that have cullminated into a distaste for outside help that doesn’t come in […]

Kurds want ISIL defeated, but Assad as our top ally

The Kurds are our friends. They protect American journalists and are the bastion of sanity left in the war-torn portion of Syria. It was an interesting and telling moment during the second debate when Hillary Clinton communicated some apprehension in “some circles” about increasing arms to the Kurds. The Kurds do not have a political […]

Interview with a YPG/Peshmerga foreign fighter

PJ and I were in the same Peshmerga units before he left to fight in Syria alongside the YPG. He is an exceptional warrior that embodies the spirit of the Marine Corps with a sense of humor that cannot be matched, Semper Fidelis brother.   Kurt: What’s your military background? PJ: 0351 infantry assaultman UCMC […]

Watch: Foreign YPG fighters engage ISIS in Manbij

The YPG have been making huge strides in just the last two years but especially the recent push towards Raqqa. The war in Syria is a complex and constantly changing conflict; no one seems to really have an idea of when it will be over and who will be the top dogs when the dust […]

Turkey Proposes Joining U.S. in Raqqa Battle

Turkey has proposed forming a joint operation administration in Manbij between Arab fighters within the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian Free Army. “The Arab elements of the SDF should learn to cooperate with the Free Syrian Army (FSA). We want the Arab elements of the SDF and the FSA to establish a joint […]

Returning home after volunteering with Kurdish Forces

“War is a drug” – Chris Hedges These are just some of my personal experiences and I’m sure it’s different for everyone. It probably comes across like many men and woman’s experiences returning home from a deployment but in others I’m sure it isn’t; from cultural change extremes to sheer speed at which I was back in […]

Watch: American Marine trains Peshmerga in egress drills

It’s important to practice getting out of sticky situations. The following is a video of myself and my colleague demonstrating to a small group of Peshmerga soldiers how to break contact with an enemy force utilizing fire and maneuver. While we are doing this as a two man element it can easily be expanded into […]