HERO
US Special Forces operator turned aid-worker runs through ISIS gunfire to save child. God bless David Eubank pic.twitter.com/N7gUMryxlN
— Chet Cannon (@Chet_Cannon) June 18, 2017
In this stunning video that’s going viral, an American aid worker dodges ISIS gunfire while running to rescue a young girl who was pinned down in the Iraqi city of Mosul.
The rescuer, 56-year-old David Eubank, is a former U.S. Special Forces soldier who started the non-denominational aid group Free Burma Rangers after leaving the military. The group is focused on helping those in conflict areas in Burma, Iraq, and Sudan.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Eubank made his rescue on a recent Friday while ISIS snipers were shooting at civilians who were trying to flee the area as the group clashed with Iraqi security forces in the ISIS stronghold of Mosul. He spotted something that made him take action:
Then, in the distance, Eubank noticed movement among a group of corpses clustered before a wall pocked by bullets: A half-naked toddler stumbled over the bodies; a girl of about 5 peeked from under the hijab of her dead mother; propped up against the wall, a wounded man waved for help.
The sniper fire continued, and the the survivors were 150 yards away. Eubank and some Iraqi troops quickly came up with a plan: Eubank would try to rescue the girl.
The Iraqi troops then coordinated with the U.S.-led coalition to mask Eubanks and others’ approach with smoke canisters. Still, even yards away from the girl, the ISIS shooting continued. “I thought, ‘If I die doing this, my wife and kids would understand,'” Eubanks said.
Eubanks recently returned to the United States but is already planning his next venture to the Middle East.
(via Business Insider & Los Angeles Times)