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She said that fighting so-called Islamic State was "a moment in history, and he wanted to be part of it”. She described him as “straightforward and very direct” and said she was very

proud of him. Ms Blannin said: “When he first went there I thought he would probably last about six weeks ... but he stuck it, and he loved it. "I think it made him, he learnt the

language - he spoke fluent Kurdish - he integrated very well and had so much respect from the commanders and his peers." He had taken part in dangerous operations with the

freedom-fighting group YPG that included the liberation of an enemy-held village in the war-torn country. He also fought alongside hero Ryan Lock, 20, who turn his gun on himself to avoid

being captured by ISIS in December last year.  The pair took part in the initial assault on rebel capital Raqqa. Raqqa, ISIS’s self declared capital, fell on Friday. Kurdish-dominated Syrian

Democratic Forces (SDF) formally announced Raqqa’s liberation from Islamic State after four months of battles and said the city would be part of a decentralised federal Syria. U.S.

President Donald Trump on Saturday hailed the defeat as “a critical breakthrough” in a worldwide campaign against the militants.