By ARA News, July 3, 2015
The Armenian fighter Barkhodan speaking to ARA News in Sere Kaniye, northeastern Syria
Sere Kaniye, Syria – Dozens of fighters from different nationalities have joined the ranks of the Kurdish forces in Syria and Iraq in order to combat militants of the Islamic State (IS/ISIS).
An Armenian fighter in the ranks of the Kurdish forces of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), nicknamed Barkhodan, came to Syria nearly two years ago and joint the fight against ISIS.
“I am 55 years old, I came to Syria along with 70 Armenian young men, and we joined the ranks of the YPG more than two years ago,” he told ARA News, pointing out that they have been deployed on various positions at battle fronts in accordance with their military expertise.
“We are fighting here in defense of the Armenian people from the risk of IS extremists, we do not differentiate between Arabs, Kurds, Christians and Muslims,” he said.
“The main reason for many foreign fighters to be here (northern Syria) is the necessity to eliminate the enemies of humanity (in reference to ISIS militants).”
“ISIS is killing women and children. What happened in Kobane several days ago when they killed hundreds of innocent people is the biggest motivation for me to fight those barbarians, despite my old age,” Barkhodan told ARA News.
“When we fight alongside the YPG forces, this actually raises the overall morale among Kurds in the war on terrorism,” he added.
In Syria, hundreds of foreign members of the YPG have formed what is known as “Lions of Rojava” (Lions of Syrian Kurdistan). They combat ISIS in several areas in Syria’s Kurdish region alongside Kurdish forces.
Recently, foreign fighters of YPG formed a battalion under the banner “World Freedom” in Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), northeastern Syria, which includes dozens of fighters who were distributed at the anti-ISIS fighting fronts after having completed military training in YPG-held camps.