Jac Holmes

Jac Holmes (18 January 1993 - 23 October 2017)[1] was a British volunteer with the Kurdish YPG militia who fought against ISIL in Syria from January 2015 until his death in Raqqa on 23 October 2017 while clearing mines from the city.

Jac Holmes
Born(1993-01-18)18 January 1993
Poole, U.K.
Died23 October 2017(2017-10-23) (aged 24)
Raqqa, Syria
NationalityBritish
Other namesSores Amanos
OccupationYPG fighter
Years active2015-17

Holmes was a former IT worker and decorator from Poole in Dorset. He had no military experience before traveling to Syria in January 2015, shortly after he turned 22.[2] Holmes did three tours of northern Syria with the YPG and featured regularly in international media about foreign fighters with Kurdish-led forces, including the Channel 4 documentary 'Frontline Fighting: The Brits Battling ISIS'.[3][4][5] His death came four days after the Syrian Democratic Forces declared the liberation of Raqqa.[6]

In a Q&A on Facebook on 4 October 2017, Holmes said his reason for travelling to Syria was "Because I was sick of seeing what was going on in Syria, and western nations not doing enough to help"

Josh Walker, another British volunteer with the YPG who was cleared of terrorism charges after returning from fighting in Syria, said Holmes was "A good fighter dedicated to the cause, he learned & spoke the language well - which is unusual in foreign fighters. Among foreigners and Kurds alike he was very popular and a very good man."[7]

Holmes took the Kurdish nom-de-guerre Sores Amanos. 'Sores' means 'revolution' in Kurdish.[6] He was one of the longest serving U.K. foreign fighters when he died.[8]

During the battle for Raqqa, he commanded the four-man 223 YPG Sniper Unit made up of international volunteers from Spain, the US and Germany.[9]

Holmes was killed on 23 October by an IED in Raqqa.[10] He was the sixth British volunteer to be killed while fighting ISIL in Syria.[11]

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Dorset on Friday 2 February 2018 to attend Holmes' funeral. "About 500 people, including family members, friends, British Kurds, the parents of other British men to have died in Syria and about 30 former YPG comrades from across the world" attended the service in Wimborne to pay tribute to Holmes, according to The Guardian.[12] His coffin was covered with flowers in the colours of the YPG and the YPG commander Nuri Mahmud spoke via Skype from Syria to offer his personal condolences and to commend Jac for his contribution to the eradication of ISIS in Raqqa. Following the service, his coffin was taken to Poole Crematorium.[13]

References
  1. "Ş. Şoreş Amanos – YPG International". ypg-international.org. Retrieved 2018-06-01.
  2. "British man who went to fight Isis dies clearing landmines". The Independent. 2017-10-24. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  3. Raeside, Julia (2015-09-17). "Frontline Fighting: The Brits Battling Isis review – risking their lives, but why?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  4. Batchelor, Tom (2015-09-16). "British fighters battling ISIS in Syria hailed as 'heroes' after dramatic documentary airs". Express. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  5. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5230026/
  6. Blake, Matt (2017-10-24). "Briton who fought Isis killed in Raqqa a week after city liberated". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  7. "Brit who died fighting IS was 'one of the best'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  8. Blake, Matt (2018). "The British civilians still fighting Isil in Syria: 'We won't stop until the job is done'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  9. Vardy, Emma (2017-10-24). "Briton fighting against IS killed in Syria". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  10. "Jac Holmes: British sniper who fought IS killed by landmine in Raqqa". Sky News. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  11. Warburton, Dan (2017-10-28). "Fearless Brit killed fighting ISIS in Syria said he wasn't scared of dying". mirror. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  12. Blake, Matt (2018-02-02). "Anti-Isis fighters gather in Dorset for funeral of UK sniper Jac Holmes". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  13. Vardy, Emma (2018-02-02). "Funeral for Briton killed fighting IS". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
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