Article content continued

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or

A new friend drapes his arm over Mr. Hillier’s shoulder as he explains what it means that a man from the outskirts of Ottawa spent his own money to fly across the world to join their fight.

Ali Mohammed, a 2nd lieutenant of the 103 Peshmerga Unit, was first in contact with Mr. Hillier online. He was upset that he couldn’t collect Mr. Hillier when his plane arrived at the airport in November, because he was fighting in eastern Kurdistan at the time.

Mr. Mohammed is proud of his new friend, who has made him and his comrades feel as if the international community is aware of their cause and supports them. “He’s here helping humanity, not just the Kurds,” he says.

Never for a moment since arriving has Mr. Hillier questioned his decision.

“Every day that’s gone by here I’ve known I’m doing the right thing.”

The former corporal says his five years in the Canadian army, which included a short tour in Afghanistan around Kabul in 2013, disillusioned him. Afghanistan wasn’t a worthwhile cause — an occupation, a civil war, bad people on both sides. Not a lot of support from the local people.

A lot of veterans feel the same, he says.

Back home, working in Alberta, he struggled to adapt to civilian life. A job in construction bored him. “I was tired of just chasing dollars.”

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or

When Kurdistan came up on his radar in June, it seemed like a cause he could get behind — with much less of the moral ambiguity inherent in many 21st-century conflicts. A clear case of good versus evil, he says.