Greek ‘Ivan’ Fights Against ISIS Jihadists in Syria

A Greek man has been apparently spotted fighting in the Syrian civil war on the side of the Kurds against the Islamic State jihadists.

Greek and Kurdish sites and blogs refer to “Ivan”, a man from Athens, who is said to be fighting on the side of the Kurds for the liberation of the city of Raqqa.

The Kurdish newspaper “Yeni Ozgur Politica” and journalist Erem Kansou published an interview with the Greek “Ivan”.

He said that he grew up in a socialist-communist family, in admiration of leftist struggles throughout the world: “To shoot against fascists in the battlefield was a childhood dream,” he says.

The report in the Kurdish paper says that Ivan “loves his comrades… he would not return to Greece until Raqqa is liberated”.

He has become an expert in the use of automatic rifles, assists in providing medical assistance to the injured and detects mines that have been buried by Islamic State fighters, the report says.

The journalist even points out that “throughout the interview, Ivan’s finger is carefully nailed to the trigger of his weapon.”

Photos of men wearing hoods claiming to be Greek nationals have appeared recently in Greek websites and blogs. Some photographs show the men pose in front of Greek slogans sprayed on walls.

Greek security services say that they are aware of the reports and they monitor the movement of Greeks who left for war-zones to fight the Islamic State.