DENVER -- Jordan McTaggart, a Colorado man who fought alongside the People's Protection Unit (YPG) in Syria, died while liberating many civilians from areas occupied by ISIS terrorists, a letter obtained by Denver7 states.
"At 5 am on August 3 ,2016, while Jordan was confidently battling on the very frontlines [sic], he participated in the operations inside Manbij city and helped to liberate many civilians from the areas occupied by ISIS terrorists. Jordan and his team members found a group of their comrades besieged by the terrorists, as they tried to reach the perimeter to rescue them Jordan was hit by enemy fire and was martyred in action," an official with the Kurdish militia said in a letter sent to the parents of the fallen Colorado fighter.
The YPG also released a tribute video honoring their "daring and courageous companion."
In the video, MacTaggart explains his reasoning for joining the fight against ISIS, and says he joined the militia for love of the Kurds.
"I came out here because I believe in revolution, I believe in the rights of the people and I believe the Kurds do this well," MacTaggart says. "If I believe I can make a difference, any difference at all – [a] small difference – [if] I can help somebody, a people anywhere… I would like to, and I think I found it here."
You can watch YPG's tribute video to MacTaggart below:
An article in the Boulder Weekly last year said MacTaggart was previously wounded and thought he was going to die.
MacTaggart told the newspaper he was an atheist, but he said when he researched the YPG, he found they shared many of his values and beliefs. He said he saw traveling to Syria to help them in their struggle against the Islamic State as something productive he could do with his life.
MacTaggart is now the second Colorado resident killed while fighting as part of YPG. An Arvada man, Levi Jack Shirley, also died fighting ISIS last month. His body has yet to be returned to the United States.
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