Funeral held for Canadian fighting IS alongside YPG in Raqqa

TORONTO, Canada (Kurdistan24) – A Canadian volunteer who died in Syria battling the Islamic State (IS) alongside Kurdish forces was laid to rest at a funeral on Wednesday afternoon.

Nazzareno Tassone, 24-years-old, was buried in Niagara Falls, Ontario six months after his death in Raqqa, Syria where he was fighting alongside the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

According to his family, the 24-year-old had left Edmonton, Canada in June 2016 and “secretly” ended up in Syria after he said he was traveling to Iraq to teach English.

In Syria, Tassone linked up with the US-backed Kurdish forces to fight the insurgent group.

He was killed six months later on Dec. 21 in Raqqa due to a head injury after a standoff with the extremists.

His body had been repatriated only a week ago, first traveling from Toronto down the Highway of Heroes before arriving at his burial site in Niagara Falls.

“He was wonderful and kind and it is so hard to believe that he is gone,” his aunt Rose Tassone wrote on his online obituary.

“I can’t imagine the pain that you are feeling as his parents and siblings but maybe knowing that he was loved and respected by so many people will help just a little,” she added, sending her condolences to his parents.

Tassone’s family were informed of his death in early January after they received a letter from the YPG.

In the letter, the Kurdish forces explained the Canadian’s body had been taken by IS insurgents.

However, his body was eventually recovered last month.