Female Canadian soldier who fought with Kurds against Isis says they are just 'a thorn in the side'
The supposedly fearsome terrorist cell 'runs away' from battle, she said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Canadian woman and soldier who has been fighting Isis in Syria has said they are "a thorn in the side" and a "knuckle-dragging pigs" in combat.
Hanna Bohman, who also goes by the name Tiger Sun, joined the female fighting battalion of a Kurdish nationalist force in Iraq in March last year.
From her experience of fighting the extremist group, Ms Bohman said the West's perception of Isis as a powerful force is misleading.
"They're not some giant, holy juggernaut of ultimate damnation for unbelievers," she told Business Insider.
"They’re just a bunch of filthy, mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging pigs who run away at the first sign of resistance."
"Really nothing more than a thorn in the side."
The 46-year-old solider, who was a model and sales clerk in Vancouver before making the move, also said the majority of her time was not spent in battle but sleeping and being on-guard.
"It's not what people expect," she told Business Insider. "We're not constantly locked in a life or death battle with bullets and mortars flying back and forth."
She also said the most pressing issue was not Isis itself, but who Isis works for.
Ms Bohman said the extremist terrorist cell was working in part for President Erdogan of Turkey, who she said wanted the terrorists to eliminate the Kurdish "threat" to Turkey's national sovereignty.
"It's Turkey's genocidal Erdogan...who will eventually turn Turkey into a dictatorship while trying to kill off the Kurds," she told Business Insider.
Suggestions that Turkey's attacks on Kurdish fighters, such as the YPJ women's branch Ms Bohman is fighting for, has aided Isis have circulated for some time.
These have been recently reignited by claims from Russia that Turkey is smuggling Isis-controlled oil, the group's main source of revenue, into the NATO country.
Ms Bohman had to return home in June suffering from malnutrition, but rejoined the YPJ once more in September and remains there.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments