A British man has been killed alongside two Americans fighting against Islamic State in Syria. Luke Rutter, 22, from Birkenhead, was fighting with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) when he died last Wednesday evening during an ambush in a suburb of the Isis stronghold of Raqqa, his Kurdish commanders said. The YPG announced his death in a statement that described him as a “martyr” who “participated actively in the collective life, which is promoted within the YPG”.

It added: “At the end of training in the academy, when asked the usual question addressed to every volunteer: ‘Are you ready to fight?’ He firmly responded ‘Yes’ and said he wanted to fight the fascist organisation of IS.” It is believed Robert Grodt, an Occupy Wall Street activist from Santa Cruz, California, also died in the attack. A relative, Elizabeth Clarke, said on Facebook that Grodt had “passed away unexpectedly in Syria”.“He was there helping oppressed people, his lifelong passion,” she wrote. “I will always remember Rob for his commitment to his ideals. He and Kaylee taught me how to chain myself to another person when protesting during their Occupy Wall Street days and I shall always remember the correct Greek pronunciation of my favourite sandwich, the gyro. (Theguardian)…[+]