Italian volunteer killed in fight against ISIS

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – An Italian volunteer who was fighting against the Islamic State in Syria’s Baghouz was killed on Monday.

Lorenzo Orsetti, 32, whose nom-de-guerre is Têkoşer, fought against both the Islamic State and Turkish-backed rebels in Afrin in January 2018.

The Kurdistan Solidarity Campaign, a Kurdish activist group, paid tribute to the Florence native on Facebook, describing him as “an intelligent and brave comrade.”

Neither the People’s Protection Units (YPG) nor the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have officially confirmed the news.

However, the leftist group Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist–Leninist (TIKKO) confirmed on Twitter that their “Italian comrade Tekoşer Pilîng (Lorenzo Orsetti)” was killed in clashes with the Islamic State on Monday, publishing his photo as well.

The Islamic State claimed it killed an Italian fighter, publishing his identity cards online through its Amaq news agency.

The Italian media also reported his death.

Meanwhile, the SDF confirmed in a statement that there was heavy fighting in the last 24 hours and that advances were hampered by a large amount of mines and tunnels.

In the clashes, 87 Islamic State members were killed. Two SDF fighters also lost their lives, and five others were injured.

In a February interview, Orsetti told the Occhi Della Guerra that he did not fear possible judicial consequences if he returned to Italy.

The government in Italy placed some Italian volunteers under surveillance after their return even though they did not participate in the fighting.

“I do not expect to return at this moment, but if they were to accuse me of something, I would say I am proud of what I did in Syria, and I am ready to accept the possible consequences.”

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany