The mother of a Canadian veteran who died while fighting Islamic State militants in Syria says she will remember him as a “principled and intelligent” man.
John Gallagher, 32, was killed by a suicide bomber during a mission to take back a village from ISIS.
Speaking to CTV News in Wheatley, Ont., Valerie Carder said her son felt “that it was important to do what was right,” and that’s why he joined the fight against ISIS.
Gallagher, 32, had been posting updates on Facebook about his experiences in Syria before he was killed.
On Wednesday, his mother wrote a post on his Facebook page announcing his death.
Carder said Thursday that Gallagher was a funny, sarcastic movie lover who was “very, very proud” to have served his country.
“He felt it was an obligation,” she said. “He felt that citizenship wasn’t something that you should take for granted, that you owed something back to your country.”
Gallagher had once served in Bosnia under the Canadian Armed Forces and left the military in 2005.
Mohamad Hameed, a Kurdish fighter who battled ISIS alongside Gallagher, told CTV News Channel Thursday that his Canadian friend wanted to help “the humanity” and make a difference.
Hameed said Gallagher told him that ISIS members were “devils” who wanted to “kill everybody.”
Hameed offered his condolences to Gallagher’s mother in the TV interview.
“I’m so sorry for your loss, but your son, he was brave,” he said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group, confirmed Gallagher’s death in a suicide bombing.
Fighters on the ground told CTV News that Gallagher was the only victim of the suicide bombing, although two others were injured.
