Mayo lad out fighting with the Kurds

voz es

I found this interesting, fair play to him for following his conviction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_39GTZJKyxA&feature=youtu.be

http://www.mayonews.ie/news/30287-achill-man-joins-syrian-fight-against-isis

irishgeo

i know this lad. has strong opinions. was heavily involved in shell to sea protests.

he had disappeared off the radar for a while so i was wondering he had gotten too.

Coillte_Bhoy

Fair play to him

the_syco

An article about people joining the Kurds; http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/american-anarchists-ypg-kurdish-militia-syria-isis-islamic-state-w466069

Kristopherus

He'd better hope the Turks don't get their hands on him.

godskitchen

Kristopherus wrote: »

He'd better hope the Turks don't get their hands on him.

I hope for his sake that doesn't happen. It's a long way from dodging gards wooden sticks in North Mayo.

Fair play to the guy, takes a lot of balls to stand by what you believe in and potentially pay the ultimate cost. The Irish (seemingly a lot come from Mayo) have a long history of getting involved in other people wars/struggles, I'm happy to see that tradition alive and well.

6541

I know this lad as well sound bloke, I wish him well.

biko

Aye, there is a bunch over there joined with the YPG. Taking crap from both IS and Turks can't be fun.
I wish them well and safe home one day.

mad muffin

They're to polite to tell him he's wearing a women's blouse on his head :pac:

tomwaterford

Fair fcuks,

The Kurds are unbelievablely brave....fairless and when noone else would stand up and begin the fight Vs isis

seachto7

Came across another lad, a NI loyalist, out fighting with them. Fair play to them all, but I'd say it's like the French foreign legion out there!

The Kurds will get shafted either way.

suicide_circus

Fair play tbh

Braver man than I

El_Duderino 09

Are the Kurds considered good lads? Whats good about them? I take it that most people support their claim to an independent Kurdistan. Are their methods pure and would you be happy to put your name behind  them as a group?

seachto7

Why shouldn't they have a "Kurdistan"?

BrokenArrows

What training does he have and how does he communicate with the locals?

Richard Hillman

As with the Rolling Stone article, you'll find that there isn't any westerners fighting with the Communist Kurds that do not have mental health issues and chequered past's. Everybody is running away from something.

helimachoptor

Yeah fair play to him, but as said above the Kurds will be sacrificed to keep turkey on side eventually.

They have done a lot of fighting with the presumption they'll get some type of their own state but it won't happen

biko

With Syria failing fast the Kurds are probably going to go in and grab some territory.
Fair play to them, I hope it happens. They have been fighting every day when everyone else have been twiddling their fat thumbs and made **** promises.

Also YPG use women as front combatants which scares IS ****less as they won't get to heaven if they're killed by a woman

Ipso

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

Are the Kurds considered good lads? Whats good about them? I take it that most people support their claim to an independent Kurdistan. Are their methods pure and would you be happy to put your name behind them as a group?

They've been f**ed over a lot in the past so they have that under dog status, Winston Chruchill gassed them back in the day.
Let's say they get their way, it's hard to know if they might be a bit dodgy but if you're picking sides against ISIS (who hopefully should be wiped from the earth soon) it's really a case of least worse.

seachto7

Richard Hillman wrote: »

As with the Rolling Stone article, you'll find that there isn't any westerners fighting with the Communist Kurds that do not have mental health issues and chequered past's. Everybody is running away from something.

The loyalist guy I came across, via a Channel 4 vid on July 12th, didn't come across as the most mentally balanced bloke on the planet....

Ipso

Richard Hillman wrote: »

As with the Rolling Stone article, you'll find that there isn't any westerners fighting with the Communist Kurds that do not have mental health issues and chequered past's. Everybody is running away from something.

Are the Kurds hard core commies, if so I don't see a bright future ahead.

biko

I don't see what Richard Hillman claims to see in the Rolling Stone article, but I suppose anyone who wants to help anyone else is a bit nuts. Why would you fight to help someone else.
I think the Irishman in the OP video explains it well, but maybe others don't agree.

Why did people flux into Spain to fight Franco? All mental leftists believing in good and evil.

Are Am Eye

Kurdland for the Kurdlish!

Richard Hillman

biko wrote: »

I don't see what Richard Hillman claims to see in the Rolling Stone article, but I suppose anyone who wants to help anyone else is a bit nuts. Why would you fight to help someone else.
I think the Irishman in the OP video explains it well, but maybe others don't agree.

Why did people flux into Spain to fight Franco? All mental leftists believing in good and evil.

It has been a while since I read the article but their stories all suggest very troubled pasts. Former drug addicts, deleting parts of their history, big trouble with maintaining relationships etc. There is something troubling them all.

Same with the lads going over to fight for ISIS too. And yes, the Spanish Civil War.

It all sounds romantic but delve into each one of them individually and you'll find there is something behind their cause.

El_Duderino 09

Ipso wrote:

They've been f**ed over a lot in the past so they have that under dog status, Winston Chruchill gassed them back in the day. Let's say they get their way, it's hard to know if they might be a bit dodgy but if you're picking sides against ISIS (who hopefully should be wiped from the earth soon) it's really a case of least worse.

No argument about them being f'ed over in the past. That gives them underdog status but not necessarily good guy status. The Jews have been messed about a bit in history but not many people see them as the good guys.

Agreed that most things in the Middle East are about picking the least worst unfortunately. Hats why I'm never too enthusiastic about picking sides.

Do the Kurdish lads do any of the naughty things ISIS do? How are the Kurdish on human rights? What happens to the inhabitants of an area when he Kurdish forces arrive?

Richard Hillman

Ipso wrote: »

Are the Kurds hard core commies, if so I don't see a bright future ahead.

They are indeed. This is why the antifa groups are jizzing themselves over them.

SEPT 23 1989

Brave men knowing that you can never be captured alive

Ipso

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

No argument about them being f'ed over in the past. That gives them underdog status but not necessarily good guy status. The Jews have been messed about a bit in history but not many people see them as the good guys.

Agreed that most things in the Middle East are about picking the least worst unfortunately. Hats why I'm never too enthusiastic about picking sides.

Do the Kurdish lads do any of the naughty things ISIS do? How are the Kurdish on human rights? What happens to the inhabitants of an area when he Kurdish forces arrive?

They have carried out attacks in Turkey, but then again Turkey hasn't been the kindest toward them.
As the saying goes "if you agree with them they're freedom fighter, if you don't they're terrorists and if you don't know what they're fighting about then they're guerillas".

Hulk Hands

I wouldn't be letting him anywhere near a gun.
As the old GAA saying goes: "If Lee Harvey Oswald was from Mayo, JFK would still be alive"

Jimmy Garlic

He will be home in a bodybag most likely, if he's lucky enough to be picked out of the desert. The Kurds are only walking saints because they have left cover and the media won't present anything about them that isn't positive. Underneath the gloss they are well capable of things like a spot of ethnic cleansing.. but let's not talk about that, taboo, not trendy.

worded

voz es wrote: »

I found this interesting, fair play to him for following his conviction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_39GTZJKyxA&feature=youtu.be

http://www.mayonews.ie/news/30287-achill-man-joins-syrian-fight-against-isis

404 on the mayo news link - can you fix it ? Thanks

Blowfish

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

Do the Kurdish lads do any of the naughty things ISIS do? How are the Kurdish on human rights? What happens to the inhabitants of an area when he Kurdish forces arrive?

By no means perfect, but by far the best of the groups in Syria at the minute. When they arrive, they set up councils made up of locals to run the villages themselves, even going as far as training them in the basics on how to run stuff and educating them on stuff like womens rights. One criticism of them is they do have conscription and have historic links with the PKK.

El_Duderino 09

Ipso wrote:

They have carried out attacks in Turkey, but then again Turkey hasn't been the kindest toward them. As the saying goes "if you agree with them they're freedom fighter, if you don't they're terrorists and if you don't know what they're fighting about then they're guerillas".

I struggle to find good lads among the ME factions. I'm just surprised to see such effusive support for one group over the other. You could easily support the Kurds as underdogs as you would support the Jews in acquiring Israel.

The telling factor is in how they actually behave and few people are fans of Israel on the basis of their behaviour. I don't know anything about how the Kurds actually behave in reality. I thought the people who enthusiastically support the Kurds would have something to say about how they behave.

smurgen

Richard Hillman wrote: »

It has been a while since I read the article but their stories all suggest very troubled pasts. Former drug addicts, deleting parts of their history, big trouble with maintaining relationships etc. There is something troubling them all.

Same with the lads going over to fight for ISIS too. And yes, the Spanish Civil War.

It all sounds romantic but delve into each one of them individually and you'll find there is something behind their cause.

Could say the same for alot of people that enter western armies also.

Pkiernan

Mayo lads are fierce stingy. I'd imagine it won't be long before the Kurds tell him to sod off back to Ballina.

Ipso

I hope he doesn't join a local sports team.

Richard Hillman

Richard Hillman wrote: »

As with the Rolling Stone article, you'll find that there isn't any westerners fighting with the Communist Kurds that do not have mental health issues and chequered past's. Everybody is running away from something.

'Communist Kurds' me h*le. If they (the Turks, pro-Assad Syrians etc) don't recognise the Kurds deserve respect in SE Turkey and elsewhere, they deserve to be resisted by the armed wing of the Kurdish people, be they the KDP, YDP etc.

Collie D

Wasn't it Lee Keegan who started the whole Syrian conflict?

Richard Hillman

[Deleted User] wrote: »

'Communist Kurds' me h*le. If they (the Turks, pro-Assad Syrians etc) don't recognise the Kurds deserve respect in SE Turkey and elsewhere, they deserve to be resisted by the armed wing of the Kurdish people, be they the KDP, YDP etc.

What? What does that have to do with the fact they are communists?

Coillte_Bhoy

Collie D wrote: »

Wasn't it Lee Keegan who started the whole Syrian conflict?

No but if he was there he'd have finished it.

AllForIt

I recall listening to a podcast from The Marian Finucane radio show where she interviewed an Irish solider who voluntarily went out to Syria to fight Isis. This is all I can find on it, I think the postcast is no longer available. https://www.irishcentral.com/news/irishman-fighting-isis-in-syria-describes-savage-enemy

Anyway the tale he recounted was quite chilling. He was talking about how if they were overran by the enemy that he knew to had to kill himself rather than be tortured by them. So since this Mayo lad isn't even a soilder then I thing he might be more foolhardry than brave.

ygolometsipe

There is a saying that the Irish have found on both sides of every major war.

This makes it even more true.

terenc

Why do we want Turkey into the THE FREE WORLD when they slaughter people and children in the name of GOD. The Kurds are a Brave people and more western then a lot of the cultures (ask the Americans)in the Arab World and I use this in the term of how the Turkish tanks supplied by Germany to kill the innocent.
So Lets TAKE A BOW (WESTERN WORLD)Has we allow a Nation to be exterminated, if and when they lose (they can only fight for a so long weeks , months ,years) then we will have another HOLOCAUST.

YFlyer

Is that the guy after the All Ireland game?

Hector Bellend

He'll be in quinns on All Ireland day.

Hector Bellend

Collie D wrote: »

Wasn't it Lee Keegan who started the whole Syrian conflict?

That was the Hutch Kinahan feud.

YFlyer

They be better be Yogic Flyers and create regional peace.

dreamers75

So you are mental and went and killed people who disagreed with your mental version of the world.

Well done now go back because you belong over there, because they are fighting for the same thing.

magma69

Richard Hillman wrote: »

As with the Rolling Stone article, you'll find that there isn't any westerners fighting with the Communist Kurds that do not have mental health issues and chequered past's. Everybody is running away from something.

I get the impression that in your mind any socialist is someone with mental health issues.

Fann Linn

...__... wrote: »

Hi guys,
Forgive me for the late entry into this I'm back in Tallaght now over a year having spent 3 months In Syria fighting ISIS
the reason I went was because I really believed that the west was under threat, If you don't see that you need to get a map of the world paint every arab nation in red and every western nation in green.
then lok at whats happening in the Middle East Imaging if Israel falls then all the aggression against the west has already passed Turkey.
Then its a domino effect across Europe Austria Germany France fall England puts up a fight but as your already seeing its a la 1940.

Whatever your politics its hard to deny Israel is a buffer zone against radical Islam.
They want us dead no ifs or buts we are there enemy.
There is no peace talks or sanctions that can stop it I'm sorry I wish it was another way.

There is really only 2 ways to stop this one is the "peace" way of facebook groups videos of burning houses and bombed out villages people are expected to dig deep in their pockets and fill the coffers of the charities who all send aid.
Have a small think about this in years to come you will still have the same charities piling on the guilt ads on tv with the starving kids ask your self how much you donate actually gets there.
Its nothing cents on the dollar even the "ngo's" are as corrupt Troicarie sponsor back door terrorism through misguided funds in Hamas camps where does it stop?

Well it doesn't stop on the other side either for Israel thousands are employed by making weapons under licence by the usa in a form of "aid" its the same rich war as the Palestinians profit from look at abbas this week he bought a private jet for a tiny nation under siege!

so back to Syria now you have a small idea whats really behind the war religion vs religion vs modernisation
Religion will never win as we are a modern society but modernization will never win as those involved in the fighting are too religious.
the other religious are moderate who like the kurds are fighting for a few things Independence is one but they are used to being used so they know the aid they got of the US will be thrown aside and forgotten about while they get slaughtered from Turkey over there fears.

Imagine a world in 5 years Is are defeated Syria is rebuilding in the hands of a new leader Turkey will never let Kurdistan have a home so they will possibly invade Syria and Iraq to wipe the Kurds out.

We used the Kurds to wipe IS out.

Where does this leave the west and where does it leave the Kurds?
Hating the west and a whole new cycle of bull**** starting for another 30 years all over again with just the lines on the maps changing slightly/

From Syria to Talla!
I reckon you got it easier in Raqqa.

conorhal

biko wrote: »

With Syria failing fast the Kurds are probably going to go in and grab some territory.
Fair play to them, I hope it happens. They have been fighting every day when everyone else have been twiddling their fat thumbs and made **** promises.

Also YPG use women as front combatants which scares IS ****less as they won't get to heaven if they're killed by a woman

There is a lot of western and Kurdish propagandising that promotes that narrative (to feed into western value judgements about who the good guys and bad guys are, Free Syrian Army anybody? Yeah, they didn't turn out to be an IS offshoot) and ignores the fact that in Turkey, the highest rate of honour killings in the country occurs in the Kurdish communities. There's a disconnect there that suggests the sold narrative is a pup in service of who we feel best about selling arms to in our own interests.