Sulaimani CTG rejects presence of ex-British soldier, a convicted rapist, despite evidence

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – On Thursday, the Sulaimani-based Counter Terrorism Group (CTG) rejected the presence of Barry Hall, a former British soldier convicted of rape, among its forces in the Kirkuk frontlines despite evidence posted on social media networks.

Recently, British newspapers reported that 41-year-old Hall is currently fighting against the Islamic State (IS) voluntarily with Kurdish Peshmerga forces in southern Kurdistan Region. According to the Daily Mail, he is fighting in a unit called “Daesh [IS] Hunting Club.”

Recently, CTG rejected Hall's involvement among its forces while photos of the ex-British soldier have surfaced all over social media networks and British media outlets.

Kurdistan24 tried to contact CTG and Peshmerga commanders close to Da'esh Hunting Club, but they refused to comment.

According to the British media, Hall calls himself an “ISIS Slayer” and has been asking for outside funds to assist him in the fight against extremists. He is a convicted rapist who left the country after police began to look for him.

Moreover, Hall is also known as "Bazza", claiming that he is among other Britons in the unit fighting IS extremists. He used to post images on his @bazza11311 Twitter account, showing him on patrol in military vehicles, firing mortars, and his comrades capturing a huge cache of weapons at an IS hideout. However, the account is no longer accessible.

Furthermore, Hall has set up a GoFundMe page asking people to donate which has already collected over £1,718.

Police have revealed that Hall has been sentenced to seven years in prison on July 2015 after he failed to show up at Derby Crown Court.

“Hall’s GoFundMe page, which was set up a day after he moved to Iraq on July 3, says he’s an ‘ex-British soldier working as a medical volunteer with a group of western veterans that are here helping the Kurdish people in northern Iraq,’” according to the British Metro website.

It is understood that he was due in court on trial for two rapes and common assault on April 24, 2015, but the court issued a warrant after he failed to show up.

In an exclusive video report by the Dutch Nieuwsuur TV Program, Polad Talabani, the Director of CTG, states that he is very proud of being part of the club in the fight against IS.

It is worth noting that the military patch differs among the local and foreign CTG fighters: The local fighters have ISIS Hunting Club patch on their arm, while the foreigners' patch is labeled as the Daesh Hunting Club.

Photos below by Daily Mail, Daily Star and Metro

Reporting by Sardar Kirkuki
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany