Durban – The 22-year-old Durban man who was killed in Syria on Tuesday may have died fighting for the mujahedeen.
While details remain sketchy, The Mercury understands the man is the son of a religious leader and he and his brother were fighting with the mujahedeen, a Syrian militant group formed to fight the Islamic State (IS).
A message circulated on WhatsApp revealed the names of the dead man and his father.
The Mercury contacted family members who declined to comment and did not want the man’s name to be released.
A family member said they would try to get a member of the family to speak to The Mercury, but had not replied by Wednesday afternoon.
“The family is very upset right now,” she said.
Another family member declined to comment.
Media personality Yusuf Abramjee, who broke the news on his Twitter account, refused to divulge any details.
But Abramjee told eNCA that the man was fighting near Damascus when he was killed.
He said that the man and his brother had been fighting in the trenches for 12 days.
He said the family was considering releasing a statement.
Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, who had confirmed the death to The Mercury this week, did not answer calls or SMSes on Wednesday.
Nelson Kgwete of the Department of International Relations and Co-operation said it had yet to receive any information and was still investigating.