SHINGAL, Mosul Province – The urge to protect his two young children brought a volunteer fighter thousands of kilometers away from Sweden to a frontline position about a kilometer away from jihadists with the so-called Islamic State, or ISIS.
The ex-Swedish army lieutenant who asked that his first name, Tony, be used for this report, has been fighting with the Peshmerga in the town of Shingal for a week. Like all the fighters here, he has been waiting for the order to advance and recapture the city. Tony and his Kurdish comrades expect the order any minute.
“I’m here to kill Daesh,” the 1.9-meter-tall Swede said.
The city of Shingal was taken by ISIS, also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh, last year. It is well-known as a vital position for the militants, the central point on the route between the ISIS strongholds of Raqqa and Mosul.
Retaking the city would, in theory, cripple the terror group’s main supply line.
Tony knows the importance of this battle. That’s why he volunteered to fight on the lines closest to ISIS. He holds a beat-up Dragunov sniper rifle issued by his Peshmerga commander, and offers a simple response to critics who wonder why foreigners come to fight ISIS.
“Daesh is not just a Kurdish problem,” he told Rudaw inside of a Peshmerga base in Shingal town. “If they aren’t defeated, they will spread to Europe and threaten my family.”
Tony served three years in the Swedish army, doing tours in Yugoslavia and Afghanistan before leaving the service “for a better paying job.” He is a trained sniper and can handle any weapon, he said.
“Kurds fight with yesterday’s technology, but they don’t back down. The Kurds are brave warriors,” he said.
The West’s reluctance to arm the Peshmerga directly or provide US troops on the ground, Tony said, was another reason that compelled him to join the Peshmerga.
“I’m here because the Swedish government hasn’t done enough,” said the fighter. “They need better weapons and more supplies.”
Six weeks ago, Tony landed in Erbil with eight other Swedish volunteer fighters. Tony fought in the Kirkuk area before coming to Shingal, while his fellow Swedes joined other Kurdish militias fighting ISIS, like the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party).
The foreign fighters’ assistance has been welcomed by most Kurdish fighters and commanders, said Tony.
Life on the frontline has been a drastic change from life in Sweden, where Tony worked as a diving instructor. The most difficult adjustment, he said, is being away from his family. With no cellphone or Internet connection, Tony hasn’t spoken to his children in 10 days.
“My family supports me, but my kids miss their dad,” he said. “They’re worried, but I can take care of myself.”
Tony stops talking and looks up at Mount Shingal and the surrounding peaks that tower over the valley. It is brisk, and the stars shine strong in the cloudless sky. It would be the most peaceful of nights, if not for the drone of coalition warplanes overhead and the sporadic blasts of mortars around the base.
“Shingal could be beautiful, like Greece,” Tony said. “I want to see peace so Kurdistan can be built up, so it can be great.”
The Swedish fighter plans to be on the frontlines of battle until the city of Mosul has been recaptured from ISIS, whether that means staying for three months or three weeks, he said.
“I just hope my kids can understand.”
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