Australian killed fighting against Islamic State: family

An Australian man from Queensland's Gold Coast tourist strip has been killed fighting alongside Kurdish forces, his family confirmed Wednesday morning.

The father of Australian Reece Harding, 23, told Australia's national broadcaster his son left Australia in May for a holiday telling them he was undertaking "humanitarian" work.

The family now understands he had joined Kurdish forces in their fight against the Islamic State (IS).

Harding's father Keith expressed shock that his son had gone to Syria, saying Reece wanted to "do the right thing" and to help stop the atrocities that were being committed by IS.

Harding's 17-year-old brother told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) he had been struggling with the conflicting emotions of his brother fighting alongside Kurdish forces.

"You're caught between two ideas that you don't want him to be over there, then you understand why he's over there and why's he's doing what he was doing," Jordan Harding said. "I can say I'm proud of him being over there and I understand his thought process. .. but then again from a brother's point of view I just want him back here."

Fairfax Media reported Reece Harding died on June 27 when he stepped on a land mine during a night operation with the YPG ( People's Protection Units) in northeastern Syria.

Reece Harding's death was announced in a Facebook post, accompanied by photographs showing the man purported to be Harding in combat gear carrying a Kalashnikov machine gun standing with his unit.

Australian authorities are seeking to confirm Reece Harding's death despite the widely reported confirmation by his parents.

It is illegal for Australian citizens to fight in foreign war zones. Endi