Around 60 of them have been killed, 10 have committed suicide, and many others have been arrested by their home countries or have succumbed to depression.
In 2014, the Syrian Kurds, finding themselves isolated against ISIS, embarked on efforts to build international solidarity and attract foreign support. One such initiative involved recruiting former Western military personnel, including Americans, to join the fight against ISIS.
Several Western publications, including Truthdig, The Conversation, Middle East Eye, and others, have reported that nearly 400 citizens from Western countries heeded the call of the Syrian Kurds for various reasons, including ideological alignment with the Kurdish cause, engagement in a fight against absolute evil, and more.
These fighters reached areas controlled by the Syrian Kurds through Iraqi Kurdistan.
A review of reports from multiple Western publications reveals that about 60 of these foreign fighters perished alongside their Kurdish comrades in the battle against ISIS.
The majority of these fighters have now left Syria, but they face a bleak reality.
According to Met Bromfield, an expert on Syrian Kurds, more than 10 Western fighters alongside Syrian Kurds have developed various mental illnesses upon their return home, and at least 10 have committed suicide.
Truthdig reports that a significant number of these individuals have been arrested by their respective governments on charges of joining foreign forces. The US and UK governments have detained and interrogated a significant number of these fighters. The UK, based on the controversial Counter-Terrorism Act, has accused British fighters alongside the Syrian Kurds of collaborating with a hostile force.
The FBI in the US has conducted surprise raids on their homes, subjecting them to interrogation.
Some of the Western fighters alongside the Syrian Kurds believe they fought not for money or prestige but to aid the Syrian Kurds in their battle against a terrorist group.
They feel betrayed by their own countries, who not only abandoned the Kurds against Turkey but also subjected their own citizens to the worst fate for cooperating with the Kurds.