Monday morning on CNN’s “New Day,” CNN correspondent Ivan Watson reported that there is an American veteran fighting ISIS alongside the Kurds in Syria.
“One of the gunmen in this truck is not like the others,” Watson said.
That gunman is Jordan Matson, a 28-year-old former U.S. Army soldier from Wisconsin. Matson has fought for the last month with the “YPG,” a local Kurdish militia.
“I got in contact with the YPG on Facebook,” Matson said in the report. “I really soul searched and said, ‘is this what I want to do?’ and eventually decided to do it.”
Matson said it did not take very long to be thrust into the battle against ISIS.
“The second day in I got hit by a mortar,” Matson told CNN. While he recovered from wounds sustained in the mortar attack, Matson worked to recruit other volunteer fighters from all over the world.
“I’ve had ex-military come from Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Canada, the United States, Australia,” Matson said.
Watson notes in his report that it is illegal under U.S. law for an American to join a foreign militia. That hasn’t deterred Matson from following his convictions.
“All my life I just wanted to be a soldier,” Matson said. “I’m at peace being here.”
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter @NussBB
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