A Calgary man has died while fighting in Syria, a security source has confirmed to 麻豆传媒.
He has been identified as 22-year-old Damian Clairmont. Clairmont also went by the name Mustafa Al-Gharib, according to a National Post story published last July. The story said Clairmont converted to Islam following a suicide attempt, and left for Syria in November 2012.
He would not explain why he left Canada to fight in Syria, telling the Post only that 鈥淚t鈥檚 between me and God and that鈥檚 it.鈥�
The federal government has not confirmed Clairmont鈥檚 death. However, in a statement to 麻豆传媒, a spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs department said: 鈥淲e are aware of reports that Canadians have been killed in Syria. We are following the situation closely.鈥�
Jean-Bruno Villeneuve said in an email that since April 24, 2011, Canada 鈥渉as advised against all travel to Syria due to the deteriorating security situation.鈥�
A spokesperson for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) told CTV that 鈥渄ozens of Canadians are believed to have travelled, or are planning to travel, to parts of the world where they can engage in terrorist activities.鈥�
The agency鈥檚 statement to CTV said that Syria has become 鈥渁 significant destination鈥� for Canadians who travel abroad to participate in such activities.
Canada鈥檚 security agencies 鈥渢ypically watch people who they believe are at risk to leave the country,鈥� CTV鈥檚 Mercedes Stephenson reported.
鈥淭hose people can, in fact, be arrested and detained under Canadian law. It is now a criminal act to attempt to leave Canada to join a terrorist group or to receive terrorist training.鈥�
Foreign mercenaries have flooded into Syria to join rebels that have been struggling to oust President Bashar al-Assad since March 2011. Media reports suggest foreign fighters have also joined hard-line Islamist groups, some affiliated with al Qaeda, which are seeking to take control of the rebel movement.
The United States cut off aid to rebel groups over concerns that they had been overrun by extremists who were commandeering the supplies. Fighting among rebel groups has also weakened their insurgency against al-Assad, who has managed to fend off their efforts, re-take some of the ground the rebels gained, and remain in power.
Over the weekend, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said American officials were considering reinstating that aid ahead of a peace conference set to open Jan. 22 in Geneva.
鈥淲e know it鈥檚 important, we know they need it,鈥� Kerry said on Sunday.
The nearly three-year civil war has left an estimated 130,000 people dead and sent more than two million Syrians fleeing to neighbouring countries. The World Food Programme said it delivered food rations to 3.8 million residents in Syria in December, establishing a new record.
Earlier this month, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights announced that it has stopped updating its death toll in Syria because it can no longer verify the information due to its limited access to reliable sources on the ground.
