Evening Standard
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Two jihadists from London are believed to have been killed while fighting for ISIS in Syria.
Abu Abdullah al Habashi, 21, and Abu Dharda, 20, died in US air strikes on the Syrian border town of Kobane, it was reported.
Al Habashi, who grew up in north London in a British-Eritrean family, is thought to have converted to Islam when he was 16.
He has appeared in several propaganda videos for ISIS and has made comments supporting the militant group on social media.
Al Habashi told the BBC in August that he was at the “forefront” of fighting and claimed he was one of a few British jihadists who have fought with Islamic State militants in both Syria and Iraq.
His family tried to convince him to return home but he said he was happy in the Middle East and there was “no going back”.
Dharda, who comes from a British-Somali background and grew up in west London, is understood to have travelled to Syria in December 2013, entering via Turkey.
It is thought that 500 Britons have joined the conflict in Syria and around 27 are understood to have lost their lives after joining the Jihadis.
A foreign office spokesman said: “We are aware of reports of the death of two British nationals in Syria.
“The UK has advised for some time against all travel to Syria, where all UK consular services are suspended.
“As we do not have any representation in Syria, it is extremely difficult to get any confirmation of deaths or injuries and our options for supporting British nationals there are extremely limited.”
Islamic State (IS) militants have released another propaganda video featuring British journalist John Cantlie.
The latest tape is seventh such tape featuring Cantlie, who was taken hostage by extremists in November 2012.
The photojournalist delivers an apparently-scripted message from behind a desk wearing an orange jumpsuit in the latest episode in a series titled Lend Me Your Ears.
The clip, which lasts for almost nine minutes, includes the 43-year-old giving an account of what he claims was a failed rescue attempt by American forces in July.
Cantlie also says he has accepted “long ago” that his fate is “overwhelmingly likely” to be the same as other captives.
Introducing the latest instalment, he says: “In this programme I will tell you about a failed raid to rescue us and how it feels to be left for dead by your own government.”
Cantlie goes on to claim that the Americans staged an “incredibly complex, risky and expensive” attempt to rescue hostages in July.
He said: “The raid involved two dozen Delta Force commandos, several Black Hawk helicopters, gunships, Predator drones, F18 Hornet Jets and refuelling aircraft.
“It took weeks of rehearsals and must have cost tens of millions to perform - but we weren’t there.
“The Islamic State, anticipating such a move, just put us into cars and moved us to another prison days beforehand.”
Britain and America are accused in the video of taking military action rather than negotiating the release of hostages through options such as ransom payments.
“We were left to die. It’s the worst feeling in the world being left behind like that,” Cantlie says.
Towards the end of the video, he says: “I will continue to speak out against this military action ... for as long as the mujahideen allow me to live.”
In another section, he says: “Long ago I accepted that my fate will overwhelmingly likely be the same as my cellmates - and I’m angry about it.”
It is the seventh production featuring Cantlie released online by IS. Most have followed the same pattern as the latest video, but last month the group released footage purporting to show him in the embattled Syrian city of Kobane.
A foreign office spokesman said: “We are aware of a further video and are analysing its contents.”
Cantlie’s father Paul, 80, died from complications following pneumonia last month. His sister, Jessica Cantlie, has previously appealed for “direct contact” with the militants holding him.
Since August, IS has filmed and posted online the deaths of four Western hostages. UK aid workers Alan Henning and David Haines and American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff were beheaded on camera by the jihadi organisation, which is also known as ISIS or ISIL.
