Barrington native wants to rejoin Syrian rebels to fight ISIS
By Alexandra Cowley
acowley@abc6.com
The attacks in Paris have renewed the rage that a Barrington man has for ISIS. He returned from Syria a few months ago where he joined with Kurdish rebels fighting the terrorist group.
He says he knew an attack was coming based solely on their total disregard for human life. Not only does the 26-year-old want to return to Syria to continue fighting ISIS, he feels strongly that the United States should do the same before it’s too late.
It’s been a few short months since Clay Lawton joined Syrian rebels to take down ISIS overseas.
"Shortly after I arrived in Iraq, I crossed over into Syria, where almost immediately I was given a weapon and put into a group to go fight ISIS," says Lawton.
He says he’s just a regular guy who acted on the rage he felt after watching the videos of beheadings and terror attacks the group proudly claims responsibility for.
"They rape women and children. They are the worst monsters that ever walked the earth and the ISIS flag is a rally point for all scumbags," expressed Lawton, who fought with a Kurdish group he connected with on Facebook.
He spent four months pushing ISIS out of villages, slowly chipping away at their power. Lawton saw firsthand what they’re capable of.
"I knew it was only a matter of time before they made some sort of attack on Europe and America," he says, adding that what happened in Paris should serve as a wake-up call for America.
"They can get to us too and we have to be aware of that and we have to protect ourselves. We have to take initiative and go and destroy these guys before they bring the fight to us," says Lawton.
A new video released by ISIS on Monday threatens a similar attack in Washington D.C.
"They feel the momentum now, they made an attack on Paris and now they feel strong. They’re scaring the world and they like this, and they’re going to keep it up," Lawton explains. "I guarantee you there’s going to be more attacks."
© WLNE-TV 2015
