An Australian man allegedly shot dead in Syria has been praised by friends for helping the Kurds in their fight against Islamic State.
Jamie Bright is understood to have been in Syria for more than a year, supporting Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in their battle with IS militants.
His death has been widely reported by Kurdish military groups on social media, with friends saying he was a volunteer for the YPG and died last week in the village of Rojava in Syria's north.
Robert Alleva described Mr Bright as a "very good man" who had helped him in Syria.
"He learned some Kermanji and was quick to help the new guys understand what was going on," Mr Alleva wrote on Facebook.
"He helped clear many IEDs and was in Rojava an incredibly long time. He helped me get back to my unit once bc he understood the language."
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Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wouldn't comment specifically on the report, but said Australians had to understand they were breaking the law if they fought in foreign conflicts.
"In terms of our laws which prohibit Australians from fighting in foreign wars like that, they are absolutely critical," he told reporters while campaigning in western Sydney.
Gold Coast woman Michelle Harding, who lost her son Reece to a landmine in Syria last year, said sources in the conflict zone told her of Mr Bright's death five days ago.
"He kept under the radar. He was with the YPG and we heard that he was shot," she told AAP.
While the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has yet to confirm Mr Bright's death, News Corps reports he was a former Australian Army soldier who was a father of one and originally from Western Australia.
He is believed to have trained as an engineer in the army in the late 1980s but his trade was as a painter and decorator.
Mr Bright was remembered as a "top bloke" in an online tribute by Ashley Dyball, who also fought against IS with the Kurds.
"You're a great man and a top bloke your sacrifice will never be forgotten," Mr Dyball - known online as Mitchell Scott - posted on Facebook.
Mr Dyball fought with Kurdish forces in Syria until late last year.
In a video recorded in Syria and posted on Facebook, Mr Bright identifies himself as Australian and says he went to the conflict zone to help the Kurdish people defeat Islamic State.
"The reason I came to Kurdistan is because of the people, their struggle, their fight," he says.
"I've come to help them in any way I can. Minefields, booby traps, demolitions."
In another post on Google+ dated April 13, 2015, Mr Bright said he had been in Kurdistan for four months.
"I can honestly say that if the world had more people like you in it, then the world would be a better place. And that is the god's honest truth. Thank you for everything, my hevals, sincerely Jamie."
