An American was killed last weekend in Syria, where he was fighting for the Islamic State (IS) — formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant — US media reported on Tuesday, in an account only partially confirmed by US officials.
Douglas McCain had joined the violent extremist group as a fighter, leaving his family “devastated” and “just as surprised as the country,” his uncle Ken McCain told CNN.
Douglas had converted from Christianity to Islam several years ago, his uncle said, saying the US State Department informed the family of his death on Monday.
“We are in contact with the family and are providing all possible consular assistance,” agency spokeswoman Jen Spaki said. “There’s typically a process that needs to be gone through before any confirmation can be made.”
A number of Americans are believed to have joined militants in the region.
Former classmates recalled McCain as a “goofball” who liked to play basketball and aspired to become a rapper.
Friends said on Twitter that he converted to Islam in about 2004.
The younger McCain was “a good person, loved his family, loved his mother, loved his faith,” his uncle told CNN, referring to his nephew’s Christian beliefs before his conversion.
McCain was killed in a battle against al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda-linked group blacklisted by the US, the report said.
NBC News said McCain, of San Diego, California, was carrying about US$800 in cash and his US passport in his pockets.
It cited a Free Syrian Army-linked activist as saying McCain was among three foreign IS fighters who died during the battle.
On Facebook, the 33-year-old called himself “Duale ThaslaveofAllah,” and his Twitter bio read “It’s Islam over everything,” NBC said.
The State Department says there are about 12,000 extremist fighters from as many as 50 countries around the world.
US officials last week told reporters that more than 100 US nationals had left to fight in Syria or tried to do so.
“The threat we are most concerned about to the homeland is that of fighters like this returning to the US and committing acts of terrorism,” a senior administration official told NBC News.
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