Canadian veteran Dillon Hillier, who fought against ISIS, returns home

TORONTO – Canadian Forces veteran Dillon Hillier, who joined Kurdish forces battling ISIS two months ago, has returned home, according to a statement from his family posted to social media Tuesday.

A retired corporal with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Hillier, 26, flew to northern Iraq in November to fight alongside a group battling the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

READ MORE: Video of Canadian veteran Dillon Hillier aiding Kurdish fighters appears online

His father Randy Hillier, an Ontario provincial politician, said he and his wife Jane are “proud and relieved” that their son has returned safely in a Facebook post.

“Jane and I would like to express our deep appreciation to all those who contacted us, offering their thoughtful and generous support to our son Dillon while he was engaged alongside the Peshmerga in Iraqi Kurdistan against the Islamic State,” the statement read. “We are proud and relieved that Dillon has returned safely home from the middle-east.”

The statement adds that Dillon will need time to re-adjust and reunite with friends and family before any further public statement or availability is made.

Hillier was one of the first known Canadian military veterans to have joined Kurdish forces battling ISIS.

READ MORE: 2 more firefights between Canadian forces and ISIS as critics warn of mission creep

On Dec. 1, dramatic video of him fighting alongside Kurdish forces emerged and showed the vet bandaging a wounded man.

The federal government has warned against Canadians and military veterans from heading overseas to fight extremist groups.

Also in December Hillier’s brother Russell launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to buy night vision goggles. The campaign, which had an original goal of $8,200, ended up raising $17,024.

Currently Canada has six CF-18 fighters in Kuwait as part of a U.S.-coalition and has been conducting air strikes against ISIS. Over the last several weeks it’s been revealed the roughly 70 Canadian soldiers training the Iraqi military have returned fire from ISIS three times.