A Canadian-born female who emigrated to Israel and served in the military has become the first foreign woman to join Kurdish militants fighting the Islamic State insurgents in northern Syria, the Israel Radio and Channel 10 TV reported on Monday.
About 10 days ago, Gill Rosenberg allegedly contacted Kurdish fighters over Facebook before traveling through Iraq to train at one of their camps on the Syrian border, a Kurdish source revealed on Tuesday.
"We are aware of reports that a Canadian individual has joined Kurdish forces," the Canadian foreign affairs ministry stated.
The 31-year-old, a resident of Tel Aviv, worked as a civil aviation pilot in Canada before enlisting in an Israeli army search-and-rescue unit, according to the Associated Press. In 2009, she was arrested, extradited to the United States, and jailed over an international phone scam, one of her former lawyers said.
Contacted on an Iraqi cell phone number, Rosenberg told Reuters she was in Syria, but declined to comment further: "Sorry, you have to go through the chain of command in YPJ," she said, referring to the Kurdish women's militia she has joined.
Since many women are attempting to join Kurdish fighters in an attempt to fend off ISIS militants, Rosenberg apparently wanted to enter combat zones in northern Syria because she believed her Israeli military experience could contribute to the war, The Telegraph reported.
"They are our brothers. They are good people. They love life, a lot like us, really," she told the radio station in Hebrew, explaining her decision to join. "I was with the guerrillas in the mountains for a few days and then I crossed the border."
Although Yahel Ben-Oved, an Israeli lawyer who represented Rosenberg in the U.S. criminal proceedings, claimed to be unaware of Rosenberg's recent movements, she said, "It is exactly the sort of thing she would do, though."
Since the 1960s, "Israel has maintained discreet military, intelligence and business ties with the Kurds, seeing in the minority ethnic group a buffer against shared Arab adversaries. The Kurds are spread through Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Iran," Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, Rosenberg could face prosecution if she ever decides to return back to Israel because the country has banned its citizens from traveling to enemy states, including Syria and Iraq, officials said.
Similarly, Canadian officials said they were aware of Rosenberg's case, but did not immediately elaborate on what if any efforts were being made to return her.
