Foreigners join up to fight Islamic State

A few dozen Westerners become 'freedom fighters' with Syrian Kurdish armed faction

While illegally crossing the Iraqi-Syrian border, Canadian Peter Douglas was adamant that his incursion was for humanitarian reasons - to help the people of Syria.

Douglas is one of a growing band of foreigners to dodge authorities and join the fight against Islamic State militants who have killed thousands and taken swaths of Iraq and Syria, declaring a caliphate in territory under their control.