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But Mr. Bell said fighting with guerrillas was nothing like being in the Canadian Forces, where soldiers can depend on command and control, air support and helicopters to evacuate them if they are wounded. “None of that is going to happen,” he said.

Mr. Bell, who has worked with many armed groups, including the mujahedin, which fought the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s, said they will sometimes drop their weapons and run away. “Discipline is negligible in these militias.”

Planning is also often haphazard and consists of nothing more than getting into a pickup truck and driving towards the front. “It’s a case of advancing to contact and then when you make contact with them you just fight, kill as many guys until one side or the other withdraws.”

He warned that ISIS was actively seeking to capture citizens of countries that were part of the American-led military alliance. “They’re going be looking for anyone who is in the coalition, to get them in the orange jumpsuits and start making demands,” he said. “It’s going to put everyone in a terrible quandary.”

He said he decided to speak out because he wanted military veterans to understand the risks involved. “The young guys, I don’t think they realize that, because they think it’s all gung ho,” he said. “I think it’s immaturity. I think it’s boredom.”

Six CF-18 fighters are in Kuwait to participate in air strikes against ISIS, and Canada has been airlifting weapons to the Iraqi security forces forces. Almost 70 Canadian soldiers are also helping train the Iraqi military.