Among the waves of fighters entering Ukrainian lands in the war against Russia was a 40-year-old computer programmer from Canada, who would not stand out at first sight. However, 'Wali', as he is popularly known, is no rookie combatant; he is one of the deadliest snipers in the world, with a record kill shot from more than three kilometres away. According to reports, Wali was a sobriquet assigned to him by Afghanistan residents when he was deployed in the country.
As UK's The Independent reported, he was with the Royal Canadian Infantry’s 22nd Regiment in Kandahar during the war in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2011, and traveled to Iraq as a volunteer foreign fighter embedded with Kurdish forces in 2015 to combat IS; He reportedly fired a McMillan Tac-50 rifle to fatally shoot an Islamic State militant in Mosul from almost 3.5km away.
Wali told The Sun: "I know, it's just awful. But me, in my head, when I see the images of destruction in Ukraine, it is my son that I see, in danger and who is suffering." He crossed into Ukraine via Poland, and has currently taken shelter in an abandoned building.
US President Joe Biden said he has moved 12,000 troops along the borders with Russia, such as Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Romania while asserting that Vladimir Putin will not be victorious in the war he has waged against Ukraine.
Addressing members of the House Democratic Caucus on Friday, Biden stressed over "not fighting a third World War in Ukraine" but avowed sending an "unmistakable message that we will defend every inch of NATO territory". The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is a group of 30 North American and European nations. According to NATO, its purpose "is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means."
Biden said the people of Ukraine have demonstrated remarkable bravery and courage in the face of a Russian military offensive but the security assistance that the US provides has been critical in their defence. "And as we provide support to Ukraine, we're going to continue to stand together with our allies in Europe and send an unmistakable message that we will defend every inch of NATO territory with a united galvanised NATO," the US president said.
