A British soldier was found dead and was believed to have taken his own life in order not to be captured and tortured by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
20-year old Ryan Lock didn't tell anyone his decision of joining the Kurdish armed fighting forces, YPG, in their battle in Syria. Before he joined the army, he was a chef in Chichister, West Sussex, England.
Unfortunately, he was found lifeless after several months. Investigations revealed that he had taken his own life to avoid falling in the hands of the extremist group.
According to BBC, 5 soldiers were reportedly slain by ISIS and one of them was Lock. The victims reportedly "showed considerable resistance" before the group eliminated them.
However, investigators found gun marks under Lock's chin which suggest that he must have committed suicide before ISIS members could lay a hand on him. His wounds confirmed the invetigators' conclusion:
"It seems that the British fighter committed cuicide in order not to fall captive with ISIS"
On the other hand, Mark Campbell of KurdishQuestion.com paid homage to the British soldier in a statement he released during an interview with BBC South. Campbell honored Lock's bravery of pointing his own gun at himself to avoid giving ISIS some feeling of satisfaction when he became their captive.
"Ryan Lock may very well have turned his own gun upon himself rather than be taken prisoner by ISIS. There are no words to describe the bravery required to take such an action. ISIS were robbed of a predictable macabre propaganda opportunity by Ryan's action. I personally believes he deserves the very highest of military honors for such outstanding bravery in the face of such a barbaric enemy"
Before he put death upon himslef, Ryan was able to update his Facebook status where he admitted his military mission to his family. He even told them that he will be home anytime soon.
"I'm on my way to Rojava. I lied about going to Turkey. I'm sorry I didn't tell anyone. I love all of you and I will be back in six months"
Lock's father Jon Plater, thanked YPG for returning them home despite what happened.
"Since we heard the devastating news of Ryan, it's been pretty tough, especially the difficulties surrounding the repatriation. We are grateful to the YPG for bringing them home,"
Source: TNP , elitereaders
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