The Kurdish Peshmerga army in Iraq is now recruiting former U.S. and British military members to join the fight against the Islamic State group.
Interested volunteers can apply to the program, called F.R.A.M.E. (Foreigner Registration Assessment Management and Extraction), via an application on the group's website.
The site details exactly what kind of operations soldiers would be conducting in Kurdistan, an area on the border of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran.
As part of the vetting process, to make sure that there are no Islamic State loyalists attempting to join the group, F.R.A.M.E. asks all applicants to befriend certain Peshmerga contacts on Facebook, describe prior military experience and detail any medical or psychological conditions. A peshmerga representative then calls the volunteer to ask some follow-up questions and inquire about their intentions, according to popularmilitary.com.
If everything checks out and the candidate is accepted, all necessary information, including travel documents and flight information, is provided to the recruit. The Kurds will even reimburse for airfare, according to RT.
The Kurds could soon have a lot more money to pay for Americans to come help out. Republican lawmakers added text to next year's defense authorization bill that would send up to $429 million directly to Kurdish fighters, rather than to the Iraqi government, reported the Guardian.
The F.R.A.M.E application website describes what happens upon arrival in Kurdistan:
"When you come to Kurdistan our team will pick you up at the airport. You will be met by fellow Americans/Brits. You will be securely transported to the barracks. You will spend a minimum of a week with us to shake off the jet lag, train at the range, finish your processing, assign you your weapon and ammunition, and ensure your family at home has all necessary emergency contact information to us (if your loved ones need you for an emergency purpose and they cannot reach you, they may call us as we know where each of you are stationed and we can get the message to you as promptly as possible). Lastly, during this process we will be evaluating your skill set you provided, mental state, and leadership ability."
Recruits are required to be honest and professional, and are allowed to stay with the Kurds for as long as they like, though a one month minimum commitment is required.
One former U.S. Marine who joined the Peshmerga told The Daily Beast, "When I arrived they were giving me a hard time at the airport because of all the gear I had brought. So, I lied. I flashed them an old reserve ID I still had and told them I was on orders. It worked. That was three weeks ago."
Another Marine told The Daily Beast that he was stopped by the FBI at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, questioned and then released. He was wearing a U.S. Marine Crops globe and anchor on his body armor, but declined to identify his specific unit. "They took my body armor and asked me a few questions. I don't know how they knew I was coming, but they did."
And yet another American who joined the Syrian Kurds last year, Jordan Matson, 28, spoke of his decision on Facebook: "We are what stands between life and death for those behind us. Those who simply want to live in peace. When governments are unwilling to stand for what's right."
"Maybe if nations actually intended to bring peace to this region with a long term solution the innocent wouldn't continue to pay the price," Matson wrote in another post. "Maybe there would be order restored to Northern Syria and people would be able to live in peace together regardless of religion, gender or creed."
