A Canadian citizen has been arrested in Iraq after reportedly fighting with the Kurds against the Islamic State.
On Monday, the National Post reported that a former Canadian Forces member was arrested in northern Iraq last month, along with five Westerners. The Canadian government confirmed Tuesday that an arrest was made.
“We are aware of the arrest of a Canadian citizen in Iraq,” Rachna Mishra, a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, said in an email Tuesday. “Canadian consular officials at the Embassy of Canada in Amman, Jordan, are providing consular assistance as required.”
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Citing the Privacy Act, the department said it couldn’t release any further details.
The former Canadian soldier was not identified by the National Post, however, the newspaper said he left the military in 2014 after four-and-a-half years of service.
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The newspaper confirmed the arrest after speaking with a Vancouver woman who is currently with the Kurdish forces.
Hanna Bohman told the Post the unidentified Canadian was a volunteer with the People’s Protection Units, or YPG.
She said the man was detained along with a Swede, two Spaniards and two Americans.
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