Updated 5.10pm
AN IRISHMAN HAS reportedly blown himself up in a suicide attack in Iraq for the so-called Islamic State.
An IS-linked news agency yesterday posted a picture of a man posing in front of a VBIED (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) with a weapon.
The Amaq propaganda outlet named the man as ‘Abu Osama Irelandi’ and he has been widely named as Dubliner Terence Kelly. The outlet says that the attack was a suicide mission against Iraqi shia fighters.
The group said that the man was Irish and had detonated a truck laden with explosives west of the city of Mosul on Friday.
“Brother martyr Abu Osama Irelandi, may Allah accept his soul, attacked a group of animals from the Hashd [Shia militia] in the village of Ghzayel Al-Kabir,” a statement from IS said.
He was said to be one of five men who had killed themselves in an attack against pro-Iraqi government forces.
Kelly, also known as ‘Khalid Kelly’ or ‘Taliban Terry’, previously appeared on The Late Late Show in 2003 and spoke about his conversion to Islam whilst in a Saudi Arabian prison.
During the show, he appeared alongside controversial British cleric Anjem Choudary and defended militant Islamists.
Kelly’s death has not independently verified but the image posted by the Islamic State linked outlet bears a strong resemblance to him.
The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it was investigating the reports around the death.
A spokesperson said:
The Department is aware of media reports concerning an Irish citizen in Iraq and is seeking to clarify the situation.
A battle to retake Mosul from Islamic State forces is ongoing with pro-government forces having entered the city earlier this week.
- With reporting by Rónán Duffy
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