When foreign fighters are a good thing?

There is, however, a very different type of foreign fighter that has arisen in the Syrian war: Westerners who leave to fight against the IS, usually with Kurdish groups.

The Lions of Rajova, pictured Jan. 15, 2016. Phil Gurski argues that the government of Canada should plainly state its position on Westerners going to fight the war against the Islamic State. 'At least one Canadian—John Gallagher—has died in theatre thus far and more are likely to follow him. It is incumbent on governments to plainly state their position on this issue (the former Tory government stated that it preferred those keen to fight to join our military).'Photograph courtesy of the Lions of Rajova

Opinion

BY PHIL GURSKI

July 4, 2016

OTTAWA—When we write and talk about foreign fighters we are normally referring to the phenomenon of outsiders who travel to engage in combat in a land that is not theirs. More specifically, at least these days, we are focused on those joining up with terrorist groups like Islamic State and Jabhat ...

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