A sixteen-year-old teenager from Navan, Ireland has been killed while fighting with Syrian rebels.
Shamseddin Gaidan joined rebels in Syria last year without his parent consent. The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear. His father Ibrahim, who runs a halal grocery shop in Navan, was informed of his son's death in a phone call from Syria the Irish Times reports.
“We don’t know where or how he was killed and we don’t know where his body might be,” said Mr Gaidan.
“It is very difficult to get any information. This confusion makes our grief much worse.”
Shamseddin and his family moved to Ireland from Libya in 2001. Last year, he spent the summer in Libya and was supposed to return to Ireland in mid-August.
His family was concerned when he did not arrive in Dublin as planned. Later they learned he had he had crossed the Turkish border into Syria.
“We heard nothing from him until one day someone called from Syria saying Shamseddin is here and he is helping the Syrian people,” said Mr Gaidan.
Shamseddin appeared to had joined up with a cousin from Libya who had traveled to Syria some time before. The cousin is also believed to have been killed.
The last Mr Gaidan heard from his son was a brief phone call a while later during which he pleaded with his son to return home.
“He refused saying how could he leave when the Syrian regime was killing its own people, including children.”
Mourners gathered at Tallaght mosque in Dublin last week to offer condolences to the Gaidan family.
Shamseddin is the second person from Ireland to have died after joining the rebels in Syria.
Last December, 22-year-old Egyptian-born Hudhaifa ElSayed, from Drogheda, was shot dead by regime forces in northern Syria.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.seamus60 | Feb 28, 2013, 08:22 AM EST
Rest in peace Shamseddin
awoken32 | Feb 28, 2013, 04:51 AM EST
Warren nopoint you are a judas to your people,Why dont you pack up an leave Ireland,Go to africa an settle over their an surround them with your love,Help them to grow as a nation an leave the Irish people an culture you abadoned alone,We will be grand with you an the enrichers,Here they might even call you african warren nopoint or here go to a muslim country an pratice your faith there an tell them you wanna start opening up Catholic Churches an creating your own white communities,Im sure they will welcome you with open arms aswell,Your a JUDAS an should be treated as such,Im my Brothers Keeper simply does not apply to you,You would sell your people down the river with your ignorance an stupidity,Jeez the immigrants must love you,I quarentee the majority of IRISH wouldnt
warrenpoint00 | Feb 27, 2013, 08:31 PM EST
Sh, Sh, wounded knee, calm down George Dillon, you will waken up your pal awoken32 and you two old nazi,s will go on a major nation bashing campaign.Actually you have the same sound bite as awoken32 you sure you a,int he.Time you old boys got into your nazi camouflage, go into the woods and shoot some rabbit, and pretend that they are foreign nationals.Folks tell me this is a great hobby in America, for the nazi white supremacist,s, just like yourself,yes, and woundedknee ,please when we Irish refer to Ireland, it is 32 counties we talk about, not the 26 counties you refer to.bye George, you lovable nazi.
WoundedKnee | Feb 27, 2013, 02:04 PM EST
The poster warren'pint is a sectarian bigot and racist. He hates Irish Protestants and English people. Disgusting bigotry. Of course he's an empty-headed fool too. Anyone who thinks--as he does--that the foreign population of the 26 Counties is less than one in ten is an ignorant idiot and not worth trying to dialog with. Of course this oaf proves his inanity by not realizing that the young man who was killed while pursuing terrorism in Syria was actually a Libyan. Born well over a thousand miles from Syria, he had never even been in that country before he went there to kill and maim.
awoken32 | Feb 27, 2013, 01:27 PM EST
Exactly,He fought for his own people as he sees it,The muslims,He is as much irish as im chinese,Warrenpoint atleast that youngfellow cared about invasions of his country you support the invasions of Ireland through mass immigration,So save patriotic BS,Youre objective in live is the hatred of the prodesdents,You are blind too the real threath to your people,PURE JUDAS
warrenpoint00 | Feb 27, 2013, 11:21 AM EST
He was a sacrificial lamb and he thought he was fighting for the cause of his people, seems to be the agreed vocabulary. He was just like all the young Irish men then, that died for their country, same cause, and ended up with a divided country and a free state.Similar.
anglo-norman | Feb 26, 2013, 06:45 PM EST
ohh the irony...
Smyrnian | Feb 26, 2013, 06:00 PM EST
WKnee - Giving my age away here. Doherty was born in Britain and was one of those IRA guys who killed a lot of people in England in the early to mid-70's. that's all I remember. NOT a good or worthy character.
awoken32 | Feb 26, 2013, 03:12 PM EST
He died for the ideals of jihad,He must have been reading the words of mohammed since he was young,In his eyes he died for Islam but in truth he was a secrifishal lamb in the arena of war,Atleast he was defending his people sad thing is he was fighting with the terrorist rebels that are armed an trained by the west,But still ill give the asian credit because he tought he was fighting for the cause of his people,I think some Irish people could take a leaf out of his book when it comes to protecting YOUR OWN NATIVE PEOPLES
roryobrien | Feb 26, 2013, 02:35 PM EST
Reminds me of Christy Moore's Viva La Quince Brigada: "Tommy Woods aged 17 died in Cordoba...". RIP Shamseddin
WoundedKnee | Feb 26, 2013, 02:23 PM EST
That did occur to me, Smyrnian. I have no idea who Hugh Doherty is. Should I? There must be hundreds of Hugh Dohertys in Donegal alone. But I most certainly do know who Eva Gore-Booth was, and if anglo-norman doesn't know she was Irish he is even more ignorant than I had thought. Eva was the younger sister of the Countess Markievicz, both natives of Co. Sligo. Eva was a great Irishwoman who labored for years in the cause of Ireland and the cause of the poor before dying young in the 1920s. As regards two of the others, Connelly and Mac Stiofain, both would today be automatic Irtish citizens, since Connelly's 2 parents and Mac Stiofain's mother were Irish citizens. So it's just more stupid ignorance from anglo-norman. Learn some Irish history, Anglo-Norman.
WoundedKnee | Feb 26, 2013, 01:44 PM EST
That did occur to me, Smyrnian. I have no idea who Hugh Doherty is. Should I? There must be hundreds of Hugh Dohertys in Donegal alone. But I most certainly do know who Eva Gore-Booth was, and if anglo-norman doesn't know she was Irish he is even more ignorant than I had thought. Eva was the younger sister of the Countess Markievicz, both natives of Co. Sligo. Eva was a great Irishwoman who labored for years in the cause of Ireland and the cause of the poor before dying young in the 1920s. As regards two of the others, Connelly and Mac Stiofain, both would today be automatic Irtish citizens, since Connelly's 2 parents and Mac Stiofain's mother were Irish citizens. So it's just more stupid ignorance from anglo-norman. Learn some Irish history, Anglo-Norman.
Smyrnian | Feb 26, 2013, 11:04 AM EST
WKnee - he is trying to say they were foreign born but Irish. The difference, however, is that they assimilated, had Irish ancestry and did not run away to Syeia.
awoken32 | Feb 26, 2013, 10:56 AM EST
pilb04 if your born in a stable does not make you a horse,Being Irish is in your blood,It takes just one look at the youg fellow to tell that he is asian an not irish,In just the same way you can tell a chinese man is chinese or an african is african,A peice of paper that our traitor polticans hand out to people deos not make you irish,By stepping of a plane in Ireland does not make you Irish its in the blood an that is a fact of life
WoundedKnee | Feb 26, 2013, 09:33 AM EST
OK, anglo-norman. We give in. What do they have in common? Can we phone a friend?
anglo-norman | Feb 26, 2013, 09:10 AM EST
James Connelly? Hugh Doherty? Eva Goore-Booth? Sean McStifion? etc
Smyrnian | Feb 26, 2013, 07:33 AM EST
No evidence of assimilation and the first chance he got he ran off to Syria. Hardly Irish.
pilib04 | Feb 25, 2013, 09:49 PM EST
awoken32, the family live in Navan, County Meath. I would say that makes the family IRISH.
pilib04 | Feb 25, 2013, 09:45 PM EST
How horrible, a 16 year old child killed. My sincere sympathies to the family.
merefalow | Feb 25, 2013, 04:24 PM EST
awoken 32,spot on.jihadists with a fundamentalist agenda will take over in syria,backed by the western military,with iran to follow once assad is deposed.The total destruction of the infrastructure of so many arab states is disgusting,and for what,is it to free the young of arabia,to allow women to be educated,to drive,to marry who they wish,not to be circumsised,not to be forced to marry old men,to be able to travel,to divorce,not to stoned to death etc etc,no medievil,not a misspelling,ISLAM will not be stopped.IT starts at early childhood,like the jewish faith,rocking back and forth,drumming in,day after day,hour after hour,to the exclusion of all else, untill the fundamentalist ethos of the koran is endeliabably imprinted into your mind forever,(as the bible once was}preventing any freedom of discourse or intelectual challenge on pain of death.the educated young of arabia groan under the yoke of old theologeans,and the help they get from the west is to militarily equip the fanatics and totally destroy their countries,bringing destruction that puts them back a 100 years,instead of extending help and understanding.only the war mongers (profit from this evil with their use of lies propoganda and misinformation.I SERIOUSLY BELIEVE THAT AN ATTACK IS EMINENT ON IRAN.ONCE THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT IS TOPPLED.
proudirishlass | Feb 25, 2013, 03:10 PM EST
WOUNDEDKNEE,You claim to be catholic, but your abusive words in response to my comment indicate otherwise. What did I say that hurt your feelings? You need to do a little research into the Syrian family run regime. They have been in control for decades and terrorized their people and the countries around them. At last the youth have gained the courage to fight back. They are willing to risk life and limb to gain some freedom and dignity. Yes I have heard that Muslims believe that if one muslim is hurting no matter where he is it is the duty of another to help him. That explains the thinking of this young man and his cousin who lost their lives in the process. AWOKEN32 you also need to read up on the Syrian regeime. This situation is not at all like Libya or Iraq. There is no oil there for the west!!!!
WoundedKnee | Feb 25, 2013, 02:17 PM EST
Awoken--Good posts. You articulate the voice of the majority of Irish people, the 70% of Irish who when polled express opposition to the colonization of their country, a voice that has been stifled by the right-wing Irish ruling class and their useful idiots of the pseudo-left. Lean ar aghaidh leis an dea-obair.
WoundedKnee | Feb 25, 2013, 02:14 PM EST
Scouse, I understand that term means you're English, from Liverpool. If so, will you tell us if you supported the mass murder perpetrated by young "English" jihaadis in London a few years back? And will you support similar mass murder in Dublin if the "Irish" variety of jihaadi decides in like manner to attack the country that has given them shelter?
WoundedKnee | Feb 25, 2013, 02:11 PM EST
Scouse: He didn't assimilate much Irishness in those years if at the first opportunity he went off to join a terrorist insurrection. What a dumb post from you, scouse.
WoundedKnee | Feb 25, 2013, 02:10 PM EST
As regards the Syrian Civil War, I have no dog in that fight. As a Catholic, I am most concerned with the fate of Christians if the Islamic nuts take over. But posters like "proudirish" are pumping out garbage. This guy was a jihaadi who went to attack a country with which he had no connection (the jerk was a Libyan, not a Syrian. And most definitely not an Irishman!). Would proudirish be yelping approval for him if he had gone to fight the government of Afghanistan? The government of Iraq? The government of the United Kingdom, proudirishdope?
awoken32 | Feb 25, 2013, 11:02 AM EST
The Government of Syria are not the terrorists here,The rebels are the terrorists.You listen to the controlled media to much proudirishlass,The controlled media is a propaganda machine for the elites to invade countries an either change the regime or too rob the resources of that country,The Syria story is the exact same blueprint that was used on Libya,Nothing but pure lies,The Rebels are trained an funded by the West AN THE USA,It is nothing more than a power grab,An by the way im not racist i have nothing against any peoples of any country,i simply pointed out the FACTS that the youngster was not Irish an he was fighting for terrorists
Silling | Feb 25, 2013, 09:14 AM EST
The term terrorist also applies to US, UK, USSR and any other army for that matter. So, lets use it in its correct context in future. Thank you and by the way AWOKEN32, you need a new battery in your alarm clock.
proudirishlass | Feb 25, 2013, 09:09 AM EST
The ignorant bigoted hatred and racism here makes me nauseous. The story is simple this BRAVE young man went to fight the TERRORIST government of Syria and lost his life to them. May he and his cousin rest in peace.Amen.
awoken32 | Feb 25, 2013, 08:53 AM EST
im a native of Ireland scouse tony,An listen that young fellow is asian an never will be irish,just the same way that an irish man can never be chineses etc etc,ireland needs a mass deportation programme rolled out before there in serious trouble in my country,im telling you the truth,Multi culture get out of town man its nothing but a mass paplacement of your own people an the stealing of a country,The ould immigrants will be in for a shock if they think its gonna go their way,We will wake all europeans up by our actions,PRESERVE THE FUTURE FOR YOUR PEOPLES
Scouse Tony | Feb 24, 2013, 11:21 PM EST
What a tragic waste he was probably recruited by those who proclaim that no “sacrifice is too great”, as long as others are making the sacrifice. He may not have been born in Ireland but having lived there for 12 of his 16 years it puts him ahead of most commenter's on this site.
awoken32 | Feb 24, 2013, 12:13 PM EST
Ireland needs a mass deportation programme to be put in place,The people need to rise up an overthrow the traitors in the dail,Who care for nothing only themselves,Ireland needs a political party that are 100% behind the native people of ireland,First an foremost,Our country needs to be claened upor in a generation or so our Irish youth will be a minority in their own country,its a feckn disgrace,Our ancestors would turn in their graves to see the way our people are letting corrupted politicans destroy the Irish way of life,We need our own revolution a mass deportation programme an a review of citizenships that were just handed out willy nilly,We need to remove the hoards of immigrants from our country
awoken32 | Feb 24, 2013, 12:04 PM EST
First of all,that youngster is not irish ansecond of all he shouldnt have been fighting with terrorists,this story has no place on an irsh webpage
WoundedKnee | Feb 24, 2013, 11:41 AM EST
This guy's family "moved to Ireland". On what basis? Libyans have no right to settle Ireland--which Fianna Fail minister on the take arranged all this? Ireland's farcical and corrupt immigration "system" (sic) is storing up trouble. It's just a couple years since an "English" Muslim imbecile tried to blow up the plane he was on, and mass murder 300 or so people. Would this Libyan have graduated to the same kind of activity if he had survived? And what are the Irish cops doing abut these guys? Anyone who goes abroad to commit terrorism should be arrested the second he sets foot in Ireland, as he would be in the US. Better still, don't ever let the jerk back into Ireland. And I am old enough to remember how the Irish police used to disrupt IRA funerals back in the day. I trust that if this guy's cronies try some similar stunt that the Irish police will take action at least as energetically as they did in the case of IRA dead.