A teenage British Muslim whose brother died fighting in war-torn Syria has also been killed, their father said today.
Jaffar
Deghayes, 17, is believed to have died at the weekend after leaving
home near Brighton earlier this year in a bid to overthrow dictator
Bashar Al-Assad's government.
His
brother, Abdullah, 18, died in Latakia province in April after leaving
the UK in January to reportedly take up arms with Jabhat al-Nusra, an Al
Qaeda-affiliated group.
Brothers
from East Sussex: Jaffar Deghayes (left), 17, is believed to have died
at the weekend after leaving home near Brighton earlier this year for
Syria. His brother, Abdullah (right), 18, died in Latakia province in
April
From Britain to Syria: Jaffar left his home (above) near Brighton in Saltdean, East Sussex, earlier this year
Yesterday
the pair's brother, Amer, 20, who also travelled to Syria, relayed news
of the death of Jaffar to their father, Abubaker Deghayes, 45, back
home in Saltdean, East Sussex.
Mr
Deghayes said: ‘Amer sent me a message via the internet. All I know is
that (Jaffar) was fighting against Assad and was killed in battle.
‘I don't know much else. I can only hope and pray to God to accept him and have mercy on him.’
The
Deghayes brothers are the nephew of Omar Deghayes, who was held by the
U.S. as an enemy combatant at Guantanamo Bay detention camp from 2002 to
2007 after he was arrested in Pakistan.
He
wrote in Arabic on Facebook confirming the boy's death, saying: ‘As you
grieve, know that we are remembering you and honouring the memory of a
sincere and truthful young man (deceased).'
BBC
Newsnight reporter Secunder Kermani also said on Twitter: 'I spoke to
Jaffer [sic] Deghayes a few times whilst he was in Syria, very polite
and friendly person with me... Poor family.'
Following
the death of Abdullah, counter-terrorism officers raided the Deghayes'
family home in May and seized material after a warrant was issued under
the Terrorism Act 2000.
There was no answer at the family home today and all but one pair of curtains remained drawn.
Grieving father: Abubaker Deghayes (pictured), was told of the death of his son yesterday at home in Saltdean
'Truthful young man': Omar Deghayes, uncle of Jaffar and Abdullah, posted on Facebook following the death
A
woman who lives nearby, but did not wish to be named, said: ‘To lose
one son is awful, but to lose two so close together is unimaginable. The
family must be going through a terrible time.
'I don't understand why these teenagers are putting their lives at risk like this.’
Related: The Deghayes brothers are the
nephews of Omar Deghayes (above), who was held by the U.S. as an enemy
combatant at Guantanamo Bay until 2007
Sussex
Police urged anyone who has concerns or information about anyone
locally planning to travel to Syria or Iraq to contact the force.
A
police statement said: ‘The south east counter-terrorism unit and
Sussex Police are aware of recent social media postings reporting the
death of a man who may have come from Brighton during fighting in either
Syria or Iraq.
‘Whilst
we will not comment on individual cases, reports like these remind
everyone that the situation in Syria and Iraq is unsafe and that risk of
injury, death or abduction remains for anyone travelling to that area.
‘The
Government advice continues to be that no one should travel to these
war zones and that the most effective way to help the affected
population is through humanitarian support.
‘Anyone
locally who has concerns or information about someone who is planning
to travel to Syria or Iraq for whatever reason or are hearing or seeing
negative tensions within communities can contact the Sussex Police
prevent engagement team.’
Abubaker
Deghayes has previously said that his three sons could have helped the
cause in Syria from the UK by lobbying the government.
But
in a film shot by Vice News this year, Amer Deghayes said he had no
intention of returning to Britain, adding: ‘My work here is not done. I
came here to give victory to the people and make sure that they receive
justice, and we still haven't reached the goal yet.’
He
added: ‘I'm in the Syrian civil war because I believe it's my duty to
fight here ...The Muslim nation is like one body. If one part complains,
the other parts react, so I don't see it as a Syrian conflict. I see it
as an Islamic conflict.’
Speaking
in June Mr Deghayes, said: 'Amer, Jaffar, if you see me or this
interview please, please come back home. Enough. This war has taken away
Abdullah already.
Family: Amer Deghayes (centre, in
grey) was the first of his family to leave for Syria, telling his
parents he wanted to be an aid worker. Brother Abdullah (front left) and
Jaffar (front right) followed soon after
The Deghayes' parents had insisted their boys are not terrorists, and simply went to Syria to protect the weak
'I'd
like to see you live longer. I said [to them] "why are you going there,
it's not worth it? You have to stick to helping in the refugee camps
and doing the humanitarian work". I am scared for my children. I don't
want to lose them obviously. But they are becoming men now.'
After
Abdullah died in April, his father described him as a 'martyr' and
revealed he only learned of the death when he saw tributes on Facebook.
As you grieve, know that we are remembering you and honouring the memory of a sincere and truthful young man (deceased)
Omar Deghayes, uncle
Mr
Deghayes said at the time: 'He was a youngster who didn't communicate a
lot. With parents, once they grow, they don't tell you much about their
lives.'
And
asked whether he believed Abdullah was a martyr, Mr Deghayes replied:
'Of course I think, as a Muslim, that my son is a martyr. Anyone who
dies for a just cause is a martyr.'
Counter-terrorism
investigators have expressed concern about aspiring British jihadis
travelling to Syria and becoming radicalised.
It emerged this month that a fourth man from Portsmouth, Hampshire - Muhammad Mehdi Hassan, 19 - died fighting in Kobani.
Three
others from the same city - Iftekar Jaman, 23, Mamunur Roshid, 24, and
Muhammad Hamidur Rahman, 25 - have also been killed after travelling
there in October last year.
In
January alone, 16 people were arrested on suspicion of terrorism
offences related to Syria compared with 24 arrests in the whole of last
year.
Spotted leaving Gatwick Airport: Three
other men from Portsmouth - including Muhammad Hamidur Rahman (right) -
have also been killed after travelling to Syria last year
Another death: A fourth man from Portsmouth- Muhammad Mehdi Hassan (above) - died in Kobani, it emerged
Father-of-three: Abdul Waheed Majeed
(pictured at a refugee camp on the border of Turkey and Syria), from
Crawley, West Sussex, is believed to have driven a lorry to a jail in
Aleppo before detonating a bomb in February
Others
who have died include one man suspected of carrying out a suicide
attack. Abdul Waheed Majeed is believed to have driven a lorry to a jail
in Aleppo before detonating a bomb in February.
The
41-year-old married father-of-three, who was born and raised in
Crawley, West Sussex, left Britain in 2013, telling his family he was
going on a humanitarian mission to Syria.
I can only hope and pray to God to accept him and have mercy on him
Abubaker Deghayes, father
A
Foreign Office spokesman said today: 'We are aware of reports of the
death of a British national in Syria. The UK has advised for some time
against all travel to Syria, where all UK consular services are
suspended.
'As
we do not have any representation in Syria, it is extremely difficult
to get any confirmation of deaths or injuries and our options for
supporting British nationals there are extremely limited.'
Around
25 Britons are believed to have died in the conflict in Syria and Iraq,
and they are being killed at a rate of more than one every three weeks,
according to researchers at King’s College London.
Metropolitan
Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said last week that five
British extremists are joining ISIS every week, with more than 500
already having travelled to join the conflict.
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