Two Australian IS fighters reported dead in Iraq

Two of Australia’s most wanted Islamic State fighters, who gained notoriety after they were pictured holding severed heads of Syrian victims, have been killed in northern Iraq, prompting authorities here to launch a probe to verify the reports of their deaths.

Khaled <g data-gr-id="29">Sharrouf</g> and Mohamed <g data-gr-id="37">Elomar,</g> said to have played a significant role in attracting young Muslims to join the dreaded group using social media, are believed to have been killed in the IS-held city of Mosul recently.

According to Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, authorities were “imminently” close to confirming that <g data-gr-id="25">Elomar</g> was killed in a US-led airstrike in Iraq.

She said verification was still being sought in relation to the reported death of Sydney-man <g data-gr-id="23">Sharrouf</g>.

“The likelihood of verification in relation to Mr Elomar is probably imminent, however in relation to Mr Sharrouf, we’re still seeking to verify the reports,” she said. Both men were seen in photographs posted on social media holding heads of Syrians. 

<g data-gr-id="22">Sharrouf</g> gained international infamy after he posted a horrifying picture of his 7-year-old son holding the severed head of a Syrian soldier by the hair last year.

The photo was captioned “That’s my boy.” <g data-gr-id="24">Elomar</g> had reacted to it with a tweet to “keep them heads rolling”.

The two IS fighters are believed to be responsible for executions of captured Iraqi soldiers, pictures of which have been put on the internet, and <g data-gr-id="35">ofkeeping</g> Yazidi women as sexual slaves. <g data-gr-id="36">Sharrouf</g> pleaded guilty to a 2005 conspiracy to attack Australia’s largest cities -- Sydney and Melbourne.