MELBOURNE
An Australian fighting for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, known as ISIL, is thought to have been killed in Syria, local media reported Sunday.
Reports of the killing of the unnamed man, the third Australian death in Syria in the past two weeks, are still unconfirmed, the Sydney Morning Herald said.
The deaths of Mohammad Ali Baryalei and another fighter using the name Abu Noor al-Kurdi are also unverified, the newspaper reported.
The latest casualty, reportedly from southwest Sydney, brings the suspected death toll of Australians in Syria and Iraq to 13.
The Sun-Herald newspaper cited local sources in Sydney as saying the man came from a well-known family and is thought to have been married with children. The circumstances of his death are unknown.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: "Due to the extremely dangerous security situation consular assistance is no longer available within Syria or Iraq. The government's capacity to follow up reports of this kind is therefore extremely limited."
The role of Australians fighting for ISIL in Iraq and Syria has led the government to cancel dozens of passports and introduce tough new laws. Police also conducted anti-terror raids in Sydney and Brisbane in September.
Baryalei, a 33-year-old former bouncer and part-time actor, had been facilitating the arrival of fighters from Australia and their passage into Syria.
He is believed to have left for the Middle East in April last year, the Sydney Morning Herald said. The Australian Federal Police issued a warrant for his arrest earlier this year for terrorism-related offenses.
Baryalei is understood to have become a senior leader within ISIL and helped up to 30 Australians join the jihadist group.
Claims of Baryalei's death last month were followed by reports that Abu Noor Al-Kurdi had been killed with him in the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani.
Australia has committed aircraft and up to 200 Special Forces troops to combating ISIL.
www.aa.com.tr/en
