Ottawa investigates reports ISIS captured Canadian-Israeli woman

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Gillian Rosenberg

The Canadian government said on Sunday it was investigating reports that a Canadian-Israeli woman who joined Kurdish militias fighting in northern Syria has been captured by Islamic State (Isis) fighters.

According to a blog linked to Isis, several female fighters who fought alongside the Kurds have been taken prisoner, including Gill Rosenberg, a Canadian-born resident of Tel Aviv. Israel Radio reported Kurdish sources denying the claims, saying Rosenberg was not in the area when it was attacked.

A Canadian government spokesman said in a statement his country was "pursuing all appropriate channels" as it sought further information and was in touch with local authorities.

Asked by an Israeli television station about the reports, the Israeli defense minister, Moshe Ya'alon, said: "I cannot confirm that and I hope that it isn't true." The Shin Bet, Israel's general security service, told the Jerusalem Post: "There are no further details at this stage".

Rosenberg, 31, joined Kurdish troops fighting Isis earlier this month. A former pilot who served in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), she reportedly contacted Kurdish fighters over the internet before travelling through Iraq to train at one of their camps on the Syrian border.

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In an interview with Israel Radio aired in November, Rosenberg said she was training with Kurdish guerrillas with the intention of fighting in Syria. "They are our brothers. They are good people. They love life, a lot like us, really," she said.

On 20 November, a message posted to a Facebook page in Rosenberg's name said: "My Facebook account and friend requests are being managed by someone else until I have access again in apx [sic] 2 weeks time on or around week of [8 December]. Please do not message as this is not me. Thank you."

Messages of concern were being posted on the Facebook page this weekend.

Isis, which has killed five western hostages, is believed to be holding 39 Indian construction workers captive. Last week the group was reported to have executed two Iraqi women who were former parliamentary candidates.

Comment: There were few details on the alleged kidnapping, only that it occurred after three suicide attacks on sites where Kurdish fighters were holed up. Posts on Rosenberg's Facebook timeline indicate she arrived in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region, on Nov. 2 and then traveled through Turkey and into northern Syria sometime before Nov. 9. A source linked to the YPG (Kurdish Militia), said earlier this month that she was their first female foreign recruit and had crossed into Syria to fight Islamic State militants.

Israel has maintained discreet military, intelligence and business ties with the Kurds since the 1960s, making use of this buffer against shared Arab adversaries. The Kurds are spread through Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Iran.

Worried about spillover from the Syrian war, Israel has been cracking down on members of its 20-per cent Arab minority who return after volunteering to fight with ISIS or other rebels opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's rule. Israel bans its citizens from traveling to enemy states, among them Syria and Iraq. It is possible Rosenberg could face prosecution if she returns to Israel.

Just like Israel to have volunteers to do the dirty work and then not let them back into the country! Another consideration: The U.S. and Canada "do not negotiate" with terrorists (even if they are more or less "home grown"). The fight in Syria and other Middle East locations seems to attract a number of idealistic young recruits, fascinated by barbarity and savagery, or perhaps disillusioned by the posturing and agendas of their home countries, willing to be pawns-at-risk in the most dangerous game on earth. One can hope that the reports of Rosenberg's kidnapping are merely propaganda. Any other result could be horrifically short, tragic and brutal.