Australian Man First Westerner Killed While Fighting With Kurds Against ISIS

An Australian man was reportedly killed in Syria after fighting with Kurds against ISIS. The Australian fighter had travelled to Syria to join the Kurds.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Australian man was the first Westerner to be killed while fighting alongside the Kurdish People’s Protection Units near Tal Hammis in Hasaka province. The Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman had reported the death of the fighter last Feb 24 but was unable to confirm his nationality until the next day.

The Australian man’s identity remains unknown. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they were aware of the reports that an Australian has died in the fighting in Syria. The DFAT spokesperson explained that the government’s capacity to confirm reports of death either in Syria or Iraq remains “limited.”

The spokesperson said consular assistance is no longer available in Syria due to the deteriorating security situation. “Australians who become involved in overseas conflicts are putting their own lives in mortal danger,” added the spokesman. The government has advised Australians who are fighting with non-state militia in Iraq or Syria to stop and leave the area of conflict.

Previous reports in January said that Northern Territory Labour president, Matthew Gardiner, had travelled to Syria to fight alongside the Kurds. However, his whereabouts remain unknown. A Kurdish official had told ABC that he was in the Hasakah province providing medical aid and not fighting. The recent death of an Australian fighter was not associated with Gardiner’s identity, reports The Guardian.

Rahman said dozens of people from Western countries have joined the ranks of the Kurdish militia. Although the Kurds are not actively recruiting Westerners, fighters from the U.S., Britain, Australia, Canada, France, Spain, Holland and Austria have travelled to Syria to join their ranks.

Meanwhile, a Facebook page has paid tribute to the fallen Australian fighter, reports the Daily Mail. The Lions of Rojava said in a statement that the YPG is “regretful” in reporting the death of one of its bravest Western fighters Heval Bagok Serhad. The group said his identity will remain undisclosed for security reasons.

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