A Kurdish group says a Canadian man fighting Islamic State militants in Syria has been killed.
The Kurdish People's Defense Units, also known as YPG, says in a statement that Nazzareno Tassone died in the city of Raqqa on Dec. 21.
Tassone's sister, Giustina Tassone, says the family learned of his death from a letter they received from the YPG on Tuesday.
She says the letter calls her brother a "daring and courageous companion" and notes that his body was taken by Islamic State militants.
Giustina Tassone says her brother left Canada in June, saying he was heading to Iraq and Turkey to teach English.
She says while her family suspected he might get involved in the conflict against ISIS — because of his interest in "fighting for what was right" — the news of his death was what confirmed his involvement with the Kurdish fighters.
The YPG is the main Kurdish guerrilla group battling the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria.
