Holy war: Westerners join Iraqi Christian militia to fight Islamic State

Thousands of foreigners have flocked to Iraq and Syria in the past two years, mostly to join the Islamic State, but a handful of idealistic Westerners are enlisting as well, citing frustration that their governments are not doing more to combat the ultra-radical Islamists or prevent the suffering of innocents. The militia they joined is called Dwekh Nawsha — meaning “self-sacrifice” in the ancient Aramaic language spoken by Christ and still used by Assyrian Christians, who consider themselves the indigenous people of Iraq.

Everyone dies. One of my favorite verses in the Bible says: Be faithful unto death, and I shall give you the crown of life.

Brett, 28, a Western fighter who has joined the Dwekh Nawsha to defend Assyrian Christians from Islamic State militants

Dwekh Nawsha operates alongside Kurdish peshmerga forces to protect Christian villages on the front line in Nineveh province. Many Christian towns in northern Iraq around the city of Mosul are now under control of the Islamic State, which overran Mosul last summer and issued an ultimatum to Christians: Pay a tax, convert to Islam, or die by the sword. Most have fled.

I’m here to make a difference and hopefully put a stop to some atrocities.

Tim, 38, an Englishman who quit his job and headed for Iraq to volunteer in the fight against IS

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