Australian man reportedly killed fighting IS in Syria

An Australian man has reportedly been killed while fighting against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria.

Social media accounts belonging to Kurdish military units claimed 45-year-old former Australian Defence Force (ADF) soldier Jamie Bright died last week in the northern Raqqa countryside, ABC Australia reported on Monday.

However, Bright's death is yet to be officially authenticated, but he has appeared in recent online videos.

"The reason I came to Kurdistan is because of the people, their struggle and their fight," Bright said in one of the videos.

"I came to help them in any way I can."

According to officials, Bright had been a member of the ADF, training with the School of Military Engineering in Sydney in the 1980s before being posted to Perth as an army engineer.

Bright joined the YPG early last year and knew fellow Australian Ashley Johnston, who was killed by IS militants in 2015, the officials said.

Johnston, a former Army reservist originally from Queensland, was killed during an assault by Kurdish forces on an IS position near Tel Hamis, a tactically important area.

--IANS

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