South West Sydney teenager Yusuf Zahab believed to have been killed in Syrian jail after IS attack - ABC News

An Australian teenager taken to Syria when he was 11 years old is believed to have died just months after begging for help. 

Key points:

• It is believed the boy was taken there by his parents to live in Islamic State's so-called caliphate
• The boy's Sydney-based family are '"heartbroken and angry", saying his death was preventable
• At least 40 Australian children remain in camps in north-east Syria 

Yusuf Zahab, 17, and suspected Islamic State (IS) members were being held in Guweiran prison in Hasaka City when IS attacked the facility in a bid to free its fighters in January. 

At the time, Yusuf told family in voice recordings he was scared he "might die at any time" as fighting intensified between IS militants and Kurdish-led forces.

The ABC has been told that was the last time Yusuf's family heard from him and they believe he had died some time since then. 

It is unclear exactly when or how he died, but he had been injured in the attack and it's believed he most likely died in the prison. 

Yusuf Zahab was aged 11 when he was taken to Syria.(Supplied)

Yusuf had been in Syria since 2015, when he travelled there with his parents and siblings.

His family, who remember him as a caring and compassionate child, said they were devastated. 

Yusuf travelled to Syria with his parents and siblings.(Supplied)

"Yusuf grew up like any other Australian kid in south-west Sydney — going to school, playing with his cousins, and enjoying sport on the weekends," they said in a statement.

"Even in the final messages we received from Yusuf, he asked us to tell his mum that he loved and missed her."

Yusuf was separated from his mother after the fall of IS in the country because he was over the age of 12 and sent to the children's section of the adult prison without charge. 

His suspected death has renewed calls to repatriate women and children stuck in makeshift detention camps in north-east Syria.

After the fall of IS in 2019, thousands of women and children whose husbands and fathers had supported IS were detained by Kurdish forces in makeshift camps.

Some of the Australian women say they were coerced or tricked into travelling to Syria by their radicalised husbands. 

Family 'heartbroken and angry'

Save the Children Australia said there were at least 63 Australians, including more than 40 children, in these camps. 

CEO Mat Tinkler said they had raised the issue with the Australian government for more than three years. 

Yusuf's family in Australia said in its statement he had been terrified. 

"Yusuf begged for help from the Australian Government. The terror in his voice was palpable," the statement said.

"We are heartbroken and angry because Yusuf didn't need to die. We are unaware of any efforts to support, care or inquire about him."

The federal government has been contacted for comment. 

Act or 'other children will die'

Yusuf's family held concerns for two other Australian boys in the detention camps, who are reaching an age when they may be taken from their mothers. 

"We have received reports that camp administration are unable to look after the numbers of people in the camp," a family spokesperson said. 

"Other Australian children will also die unless immediate action is taken."

Mr Tinkler recently travelled to Syria himself, visiting the camps that house some Australian women and children. 

"Nothing could prepare me for seeing firsthand the impact of prolonged exposure to these conditions and the untreated shrapnel injuries and illnesses many of the Australian children are enduring," Mr Tinkler said.

"The local administration who run the camps and the US government have both offered their support to extract the women and children."

Human Rights Watch spokeswoman Letta Taylor said the death should be "no surprise" to Australian authorities. 

"Yusuf survived being forced to live under IS, the battle to rout IS, and an IS prison attack, only to die while in the custody of the internationally backed forces who rescued him," Ms Tayler said. 

"How many more detainees will die before countries bring home their nationals?"

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2022-07-17 23:18:22Z
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