An Australian man reportedly killed fighting with Kurdish forces against the Islamic State terror group in Syria has been praised as a hero by friends and comrades.
Jamie Bright, 45, who was believed to have previously served in the Australian Army, was shot dead in north-east Syria close to the strategically important town of al-Shaddadi last Wednesday, Kurdish groups said.
Tributes to Mr Bright, who joined the Kurdish YPG - or People's Protection Units - in December, poured onto social media after his death was announced by Kurdish forces on Monday.
Matthew Gardiner, a former president of Labor's Northern Territory branch who himself reportedly fought with the Kurds in Syria but has never spoken about it, described Mr Bright on Facebook as "a friend, a comrade, a brother".
Ashley Dyball, a Queensland man who also fought with the Kurds, said under his Facebook name Mitchell Scott that Mr Bright was "a great man and a top bloke" and that his sacrifice would "never be forgotten".
If his death is confirmed, Mr Bright would be at least the third Australian killed fighting with the Kurds. He was reportedly divorced and had an adult son.
He was widely credited by supporters as having cleared booby trap bombs known as improvised explosive devices - a favoured weapon of groups such as Islamic State.
Kurdish groups on social media posted previous video interviews with Mr Bright, who went by the nom de guerre Gabar Ahmed.
In one, speaking in English, he said: "The reason I came to Kurdistan is because of the people, their struggle, their fight. I've come to help them any way I can: minefields, booby traps, demolitions."
The Australian government had not confirmed the death on Monday because of the difficulty of getting information from Syria.
Like those who fight with the Islamic State or al-Qaeda, Australians who fight with groups such as the YPG are liable to prosecution under "foreign incursions" laws which prohibit entering another country with the intention of engaging in hostilities.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said these laws are "absolutely critical".
"Australians must understand that if they go and fight in conflicts like that, they are breaking Australian law. And if they come back within Australia's jurisdiction they will be held to account for that," he said.
Kurdish forces recaptured al-Shaddadi from the Islamic State earlier this year in one of the Sunni militant group's more significant setbacks.
Mr Bright was reportedly fighting with a brigade of Western volunteers called the Lions of Rojava.
Australians Reece Harding and Ashley Kent Johnston have been killed fighting with Kurdish forces against Islamic State.
Macer Gifford, a British fighter with the Kurds, said Mr Bright was one of the "kindest, funniest and most wonderful people I have ever met".
