ISIS News Today 2015 Update: Western Volunteers Arriving in Middle East to Train Forces Fighting Against ISIS

American boots are not the only ones in Iraq as former soldiers from other Western countries have also been arriving in the Middle East to train Kurdish, Iraqi and Syrian forces battling Islamic State militants, CNN reported on Wednesday.

Western forces have been coming to Iraq on a volunteer basis to train Kurdish government troops and militias in Iraq and Syria even as the U.S. military continues to train Iraqi soldiers.

"Many of us do feel that we do have the skills and qualifications that can be used to benefit those in the region," said Ian Bradbury, a former Canadian soldier who is training Kurdish Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq.

Bradbury formed the 1st North American Expeditionary Forces, or 1st NAEF, a unit which, he said, provides material support and training to the Peshmerga, which means "those who face death," in northern Iraq.

In the group's Facebook page, the 1st NAEF described itself as "the only Kurdish registered NGO endorsed by KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government) to train Peshmerga forces in Kurdistan."

"Internal capacity building is by far the solution that you can put into a region that is suffering instability from conflict," Bradbury told CNN.

"Increasing their ability to maintain stability over the long term is far better than trying to influx it with a bunch of Westerners who are going to leave within a short period of time," he said.

He said he was encouraged to create the 1st NAEF after observing "fairly significant gaps" in the coalition forces' support for the Kurdish, Iraqi regular and militia forces against the ISIS.

The U.S. military, meanwhile, said it is "confident" of the amount of support it provides to forces against the ISIS.

"We're confident the U.S. military mission of degrading and ultimately defeating (ISIS) will be found by working through our Middle Eastern partners and the international community," Maj. Omar Villarreal, Communication Integration Planner, U.S. Central Command Communication Integration Directorate, told CNN.

"The training element of the mission is no different. It relies on direct and comprehensive military cooperation with regional partner nations, who share a mutual interest in promoting security. One of the goals of the train and equip program is to build the capabilities of the moderate Syrian fighters to defend the Syrian people. We are confident in our efforts," Villareal said.

With coalition members avoiding to send troops on the ground and having "little political appetite from overseas for risking Western troops in what many see as a sectarian conflict," Bradbury said that providing non-combat support such as training, logistical, weaponry, and medical aid is the best way to support Kurdish and Arab troops.

Although it is illegal to join a Syrian militia, according to U.S. law enforcers, there are foreign volunteers directly involved in fighting ISIS. The number is difficult to determine, but the Kurdish militia in Syria known as the YPG said it has more than 100 American citizens in its ranks.

Many of the American volunteers were former members of the military who have offered services as "pro bono advisers and riflemen in local militias," The New York Times reported last month.

Some organizations have recruitment campaigns online, including applications for foreign fighters. There are even checklists on what to bring and advice on bringing body armor across frontiers.

Jordan Matson, 28, a former U.S. army soldier from Wisconsin, said he volunteered with the YPG through Facebook after much soul-searching.

"I got in contact with the YPG on Facebook and prayed about it for probably a month or two and asked, 'Is this what I want to do?' and eventually, you know, I decided to do it," he said in an interview with CNN.

"All my life I wanted to be a soldier... so I guess this just fits well over here."