MOSCOW, October 25 (RIA Novosti) - The fourth British jihadist from the city of Portsmouth, who had traveled to Syria to fight for the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization, was killed on the frontline in the country, ITV News reported Saturday.
Muhammad Mehdi Hassan, who was 19 years old, is believed to have died in fighting in the area of Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab, which is one of the largest towns in the Kurdish region of Syria bordering Turkey, and which has been under attack by IS militants.
Hassan was a member of a six-people group from Portsmouth, which traveled to Syria in 2013. Only two members of the group are still alive, with one member in UK jail after returning to the country, and one still fighting with the IS militants.
According to various estimates, around 500 UK citizens have joined the ranks of Islamic State and up to 30 have been killed in Syria and Iraq.
The IS, a Sunni jihadi group, has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, it launched an offensive in Iraq, seizing vast areas in both countries and announcing the establishment of an Islamic caliphate on the territories under its control.
