BOOKS & MORE: Voluntary in the fight against Daesh

The war in Iraq and especially in Syria has long since become a modern Spanish Civil War – just like back then, today volunteers from all over the world are drawn to the fight on all sides of the conflict parties. Mike comes from Norway, he had joined the Kurdish Peshmerga to defend the area around Iraqi Bakufa and takes part in the beginning of the offensive against Mosul – he becomes famous mainly through his "diary", the Instagram profile "Peshmerganor". With "Blood Makes the Grass Grow", he now presents his story as a book. During a break in the middle of the battle, he seizes some ice and the vital local Wild Tiger Energy Drink: Peshmerganor is now one of several who have written down their memories of the fight against the Islamic State. It's the best book we know so far. A few hundred volunteers from all over the world have joined the fight against the terrorists – we at SPARTANAT were probably the first Western journalists in 2015 to meet fighters from the USA and Europe near Kirkuk. Mike is from Norway, but his roots are in Iraq. His parents fled to Northern Europe with young Mike to escape Saddam Hussein's terror. He also speaks a Kurdish dialect, which made his integration with the local Peshmerga much easier. Unlike the YPG in Syria, who actively recruit, the Peshmerga in Iraq were very cautious in dealing with Western volunteers.

Peshmerganor, as he calls himself, also has a significant advantage: a solid military training, he served in the Norwegian Telemark Battalion. At the same time, he is a calm storyteller: no tales of heroism, but a lot of everyday frontline life and exciting local color. The Peshmerga rotate weekly between home and the front, good fighters, a respected commander, little Western discipline, the weapons and ammunition self-purchased, the question of whether one can even join a unit. Everyday life between a heater in winter and buying goats in summer so there's fish to eat. A meager life and longing for the first battle. And what makes it special: the worldwide echo on his Instagram profile and the donations that come in, money with which he buys food for his unit, new optics for his AR15, and admirers who contact him to join. Along with, of course, media interest.

"Blood Makes the Grass Grow" is not a hero myth, it tells an experience. Peshmerganor does not boast, he reports on his life alongside the Peshmerga, from the first battle, from fear and courage, friends and enemies, frustration and validation. The passages where French special forces appear (they fall victim to a drone strike by IS militants), where Navy SEALs show up, and how the Western Air Force stabilizes the front when IS tries to break through, are also exciting. Mike travels back and forth to Norway and returns to the front with new gear. The Norwegian intelligence service is not thrilled. "Blood Makes the Grass Grow" is an extremely exciting book. SPARTANAT recommendation!

PESHMERGANOR online: www.instagram.com/peshmerganor

“Blood Makes the Grass Grow: A Norwegian Volunteer's War Against the Islamic State" by Mike Peshmerganor, Self-published 2018, 197 pages, Euro 23.09 (paperback), Kindle Euro 8.64