An Australian who travelled to Syria to join Kurds battling jihadists has been killed, a monitor said today, adding he was the first Westerner to die fighting alongside the Kurds.
"An Australian man was killed in an assault on Tuesday by the Islamic State against a position of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) near Tal Hamis in Hasakeh province," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.
The Observatory had reported the fighter's death yesterday, but was unable to confirm his nationality until today.
"Dozens of Westerners have joined the YPG's ranks. There are foreigners fighting on all sides of Syria's war," said Abdel Rahman.
