The family of Joshua Molloy, aged 24, are pleading for his release after it was confirmed that he has been arrested in the Iraqi city of Erbil.
Molloy, who was born to British parents and is fighting with the Syrian Christian Battalion, is from Ballylinan, Co. Laois was educated in Ardscoil na Trionóide, Athy, Co. Kildare.
So far, Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs have said that they will provide consular assistance to Molloy and attempt to negotiate his release from Iraq.
According to Kildare Now, Molloy had originally been part of the British army but left because he was not seeing enough action.
He and two other men were arrested when it was deemed they had illegally entered Iraq from neighbouring Syria.
Mark Campbell, a pro-Kurdistan campaigner, spoke to The Sunday Times on behalf of Molloy’s family, saying “Joshua’s parents are very proud of him. So they should be. We hear reports about Isis attacks and most of us aren’t in a position to do anything but these brave fighters take it into their own hands to do something.”
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