Canadian woman captured by Islamic State

KOBANI, Syria, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- A Canadian-Israeli woman who joined Kurdish forces battling Islamic State fighters has apparently been kidnapped by the militants.

The abduction of Gill Rosenberg — the first foreign women to join the Syrian Kurds — has been revealed on web sites linked to the Islamic State, triggering an investigation by Canadian and Israeli authorities.

Several female fighters with the Kurdish militias, including Rosenberg, were kidnapped during three suicide bombing raids on the town of Kobani, stated one of the web sites, though the Kurds have denied the reports.

If proved to be true, Rosenberg will be the first Western woman taken captive by Islamic State militants.

Rosenberg, 31, of Tel Aviv, joined the Kurdish troops in northern Syria just weeks ago. Rosenberg contacted Kurdish fighters over the Internet before traveling to Iraq to train at a camp on the Syrian border.

Rosenberg immigrated to Israel from Canada in 2006, and served for two years in the Israel Defense Forces. She worked as a civilian pilot in Canada.

In an interview with Israel Radio before she left for Syria, she called the Kurds "our brothers."

"They are good people. They love life, a lot like us, really," she added. On her Facebook page, Rosenberg said in the Israeli army "we say we 'aharai' — 'after me.' Let's show ISIS what that means."

In a strange twist, Rosenberg served some three years in a U.S. prison for an international "lottery prize" scam that bilked targets, mostly the elderly, who were contacted by phone.