A Canadian military veteran with experience fighting the Islamic State has taken up arms for the Ukrainian cause.
The man, who is identified only as ‘Wali’ by the CBC, fought in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Canadian armed forces before joining Kurdish miltias in 2015 as a foreign fighter.
The CBC is describing Wali as an experienced sniper.
Wali served with the Royal 22nd Regiment in the Canadian military.
He recounted working in IT merely weeks ago, before the gravity of the Russo-Ukrainian War drew him out of military retirement.
“A week ago I was still programming stuff,” he explained.
“Now, I’m grabbing anti-tank missiles in a warehouse to kill real people … That’s my reality right now.”
Wali entered Ukraine from Poland with a group of British and Canadian military veterans.
The foreign fighter explained that he supports the Ukrainian people’s fight for sovereignty and right define their own identity.
“I want to help them because they want to be free, basically. It’s as simple as that.”
“I have to help because there are people here being bombarded just because they want to be European basically and not Russian.”
Wali is documenting his experiences fighting for Ukraine on a Facebook page, La Torche et l’Épée – The Torch and Sword.
“My son’s first birthday is in a week,” Wali said, admitting that his wife asked him not to travel to Ukraine. “So … It’s hard. That’s the hardest part actually.”
The Ukrainian government has solicited volunteers with experience in Western militaries.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered international supporters of the Ukrainian cause a chance to join the Territorial Defense Force of the Ukrainian military.
⚡️The most famous sniper “Wali” has arrived in #Ukraine to fight against occupiers
The average productivity of sniper is 7 men a day. On the front type like Ukrainian, productivity can reach up to 10. “Vali” can provide up to 40 deaths per day. pic.twitter.com/XDOibKxiQq
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 10, 2022
Zelenskyy is urging those who want to come to contact the defense attaché of their country’s Ukrainian embassy.
According to Fox News, the Ukrainian military has received so many volunteers they’ve been forced to turn some away, even in a state of war with a greater power.
The Ukrainian armed forces lack enough weapons to arm every volunteer, with thousands of Ukrainians returning to the country from across Europe to defend their nation.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.