AUSTRALIA_ Service held for husband and wife, Yusuf and Amira Ali, thought to have died in Syria

Service held for husband and wife, Yusuf and Amira Ali, thought to have died in Syria

Updated 13 January 2014, 19:58 AEST
ABC

A mosque in Sydney's west has held a service for two Australians believed to have been killed in Syria.


A mosque in Sydney's west has held a service for two Australians believed to have been killed in Syria.

Yusuf Ali and his wife Amira are thought to have been killed by the Free Syrian Army near Aleppo last week.

It is understood the couple had lived on the Gold Coast in Queensland and Granville in Sydney's inner-west before moving to Syria.

Yusuf is believed to have moved to Syria a year ago, while his 22-year-old wife travelled there a month ago.

Shaykh Omar El Banna from the Masjid Noor Mosque in Granville says the couple indicated they were going to Syria to help the humanitarian effort.

"Maybe a year ago we heard that he had left to help with humanitarian aid there," he said.

"Of course, since then all news has been cut off. We didn't hear any more of that. His wife Amira followed up later when they secured accommodation."

But he says no-one in the community knows for certain what happened to the pair.

"The rumours that are coming now and the information coming - no-one really knows what's happening," he said.

"We're just hearing conflicting reports of how he died, who attacked. We really don't know what the intricate details of what happened.

"All that we know is that when he left he was going for aid."

DFAT still investigating reports of pair's deaths

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is still trying to confirm the deaths.

A spokeswoman for the DFAT said earlier that Australia does not have an embassy or consulate in Syria and the Government's capacity to deliver assistance in the country is limited.

A number of Australians have been directly involved in the Syrian conflict, causing concern for Australian officials.

If the deaths are confirmed, it would bring the number of Australians killed in the conflict to seven.

In December, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) arrested two Sydney men, one of whom allegedly tried to leave Australia to go fight on the frontline in Syria.

The other man was accused of acting as a ringleader to recruit fighters for the Syrian conflict.

Increasing number of Australians joining hardline groups

Earlier last year a suspected Brisbane man was thought to have become Australia's first suicide bomber in the Syrian conflict.

The Syrian militias are happy to get new recruits, but want them to bring money for weapons and supplies, and there is evidence many would-be jihadists raise money in Australia before heading to Syria.

The AFP says from 2012 to 2013 there was a substantial increase in the number of Australians joining hardline groups.

Police believe in just a year the number has risen from a few to 20 or 30, possibly more.

The news comes as a monitor group said almost 700 people were killed in Syria in just eight days in early January.



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