A fighter of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was fatally injured in an explosion near Kobanê. The detonation occurred on Friday near the SDF’s eastern front in the village of Çelebiyê, southeast of Kobanê, the SDF press office announced today. The explosion was triggered by a mine left behind by ISIS.

The SDF stated that the identity of the fallen fighter was Hossam Jumah Hilal. He was born in Raqqa in 2004 and belonged to the Special Forces Command (Hêzên Komandos). The SDF described him as a ‘hero with a strong moral compass, for whom camaraderie was at the core of everything he did’. The SDF expressed their condolences to the family of Hossam Jumah Hilal and to the people of northern and eastern Syria.

Hossam Jumah Hilal was buried in a cemetery in the north of Raqqa. Representatives of the military and autonomous authorities, as well as political parties in the region, tribal members and activists from the Zenubiya Women's Union, also took part in the ceremony.