© Houssam al-Najjar
Soldier of fortune Houssam al-Najjar, aka "Irish Sam," takes a rooftop position with an assault rifle, August 2012, "on a mission to Aleppo before we entered the city, providing recon info before the arrival of the humanitarian trucks delivering food to the fleeing refugees," he wrote. Yeh right, they were fleeing from the likes of HIM!
If
Liam O'Flaherty, who died in 1984, were still alive, he might have considered writing another version of his famous short story
The Sniper. This time the main character wouldn't be the IRA sniper who killed his brother; instead, it could be Housam Najjair, a Libyan-Irish man who decided to desert the comforts of Europe for the scorches of Libya and Syria.
Housam, aka "Irish Sam," was born in Ireland to a Libyan father and an Irish mother (who converted to Islam 30 years ago). A young man who seems to embrace an ambition that differs from that of fellow fighters. He's now preparing to publish his first book.
I asked him many questions, and he was apparently frank in his answers, telling me why he left Europe for the war zone and explaining why he went to Syria and whether he's going to fight in Mali or not. He explained his family's stance on his move, and how he was welcomed in Ireland when he first returned from the war zone. I asked him too if he regrets any of his kills.
"The reason I suppose that I left the comforts of Europe for the war zone began with watching the atrocities carried out on innocent civilians by the regime," he said, meaning Gahdafi's regime, adding: "I knew I could make a difference and had many talents to offer, namely being a fluent English speaker which could help the media aspect for the rebels, discovering my fighting talents and what I was made of as a soldier was a bonus and gave me new goals to achieve."
Comment: See also:
British women among those joining 'al-Qaeda-in-Syria'
Completing the cycle of terror: French citizens fighting in the ranks of al-Qaeda in Syria
Kurds capture British commander of 'al Qaeda in the Levant and Syria'
WANTED: American mercenary Matthew VanDyke is now in Syria