Young Australians are dying fighting Islamic State but can it be stopped?

SABRA LANE, PRESENTER: The war on Islamic State may be on the other side of the world, but it's directly touched the lives of Australian families. Reece Harding was 23 and from the Gold Coast. He joined the fight against Islamic State and was killed by an anti-tank mine. He's been celebrated as a hero amongst the Kurdish community, but the young man may have breached Australia's anti-terror laws. Tonight, a British fighter who served with Reece Harding has spoken exclusively to 7.30, describing their dangerous mission and Harding's final operation. James Oaten reports. JAMES OATEN, REPORTER: It was mid-May and 23-year-old Australian Reece Harding was on patrol with Kurdish forces. He'd joined dozens of foreign fighters who'd pledged support for the YPG, the Kurdish militia battling Islamic State forces in northern Syria. Reece had volunteered for the sabotage unit. His job was to dismantle mines and booby traps left behind by IS. JOE AKERMAN, YPG FIGHTER: I know my friend Reece, he didn't have any combat experience, he didn't have any military experience. He went to help and he was probably one of the best fighters I've ever fought with. JAMES OATEN: British Army veteran Joe Akerman fought alongside the young Australian for a cause they both believed in. JOE AKERMAN: Reading about all the things that had happened, the women being raped, children being sold, passed around like - not even animals, like nothing. Innocent men and women killed. The murder, the brutality of ISIS and no-one else, no-one else stepping in to do anything about it, just letting it happen. MICHELE HARDING, MOTHER: Just an ordinary Aussie kid, just a nice kid. He did life saving, good at all his sports. And he would go on about ISIS, but, like the rest of us, it didn't affect me. I'm a stay-at-home mum; it didn't affect me, it didn't affect my family. JAMES OATEN: Reece loved to travel. When he told his parents he needed to get away from his Gold Coast home for a few days, they never imagined what he was planning. KEITH HARDING, FATHER: The first we actually knew where he was, was the tactical response group knocked on the front door saying that he'd entered a restricted area. JOE AKERMAN: It's hard. Living's hard. It's tough. It's dirty. It's ruthless. They're a very young army. The YPG is very, very young. It's four years old. And they just have to pass these lads straight from training, straight into - into fight. JAMES OATEN: For Joe, Reece Harding stood out from the beginning. He was different to some of the men who were there just for the thrill of the fight. JOE AKERMAN: I think deep down, he was a soldier. And he didn't just wanted to come out and kill things, like a lot of 'em do. They think it's like Call of Duty. It's not. We were brothers in arms, you know? Last five days, 10 days we, were very close. We shared some good moments. JAMES OATEN: Joe Akerman was with Reece Harding on his final mission. Just seven weeks after joining the YPG, the young Australian tripped an anti-tank mine and was killed. JOE AKERMAN: I knew he was gone. He took the full force of it. He didn't suffer, I know this much for sure. When the mine hit, I'm not sure what - I think it was a big chunk of metal hit the side of my - side of my face, broke my jaw. Piece of metal went through that arm. Think it was eight stitches, nine stitches through that one. Went through a bit of muscle tissue and then through that arm there. JAMES OATEN: Back in Britain, Joe Akerman is recovering from the blast that killed his mate. JOE AKERMAN: Reece was just a kid. (Becoming emotional) JAMES OATEN: Reece Harding is the second Australian killed fighting for the YPG. Ashley Johnston, a postman from Canberra, died five months ago when his unit was ambushed at an ISIS checkpoint. At a Kurdish funeral service on the Syrian-Turkish border, the former Army Reservist was hailed a hero. MACER GIFFORD, YPG FIGHTER: These young men have gone, they've fought and they've died fighting against an organisation that is horrendously evil and only wants to enforce and force upon other people their wicked, horrible ideology. JAMES OATEN: British currency trader Macer Gifford fought with the YPG for five months. During that time, he met Ashley Johnston and another Australian, former union official Matthew Gardiner, who returned to the Northern Territory in early April. MACER GIFFORD: On numerous occasions the front lines were only sort of a hundred metres away, so we'd hear them shouting at us, ah, shouting, "Allahu Akbar", "Takbir" and all these other different sort of war cries. JAMES OATEN: He remembers Ashley Johnston as a capable fighter who was committed to the Kurdish cause. MACER GIFFORD: He was just, like me, moved by what was going on in the Middle East and appalled that no-one was doing anything to stop it and doing nothing to really combat ISIS. He just felt like he had a certain set of skills and that he could utilise them effectively and actually really help people. JAMES OATEN: Another Australian, Brisbane man Ashley Dyball, is still in Northern Syria fighting with the YPG. TONY ABBOTT, PRIME MINISTER (July 1, 2015): I do have a very simple message to people: if you are thinking of going to fight in the Middle East, think again. Obviously, there's a moral difference between fighting for the Islamist death cult and fighting for those who are doing their best to defend Iraq and the Kurdish areas from the death cult, but nevertheless, this is a very dangerous place and Australians shouldn't go there. JAMES OATEN: Under Australia's Foreign Fighters legislation there's no distinction between those supporting Kurdish forces and those fighting with IS. The law simply declares large swathes of Syria as no-go zones. Any Australian fighting with the YPG could face up to 10 years in prison. Reece Harding's family want the Government to treat YPG fighters differently. KEITH HARDING: We've got to change public opinion for these foreign fighters that are fighting against ISIS and allow them to come home safely. GEORGE BRANDIS, ATTORNEY GENERAL (July 24): The Foreign Fighters legislation was only passed by the Parliament at the end of last year. It's in its early days and the Government is satisfied with the way in which the Foreign Fighters legislation has been drawn up. JAMES OATEN: Reece Harding's body returned to Australia four days ago. At a Kurdish ceremony in Melbourne, he was hailed a hero and a martyr to their cause. MICHELE HARDING: We will be forever indebted to you for bringing our son home. We can't thank you enough for everything you've done for us. JAMES OATEN: Reece Hardings' parents are adamant that other young Australians shouldn't join the war. MICHELE HARDING: There's a lot of press and a lot of fuss about Reece being a hero, but I don't want any other children or young people to take up the cause. Reece had never held a gun and he's dismantling booby-traps and landmines. You're angry at him cause he's died and he didn't have to, but at the same time, you're really proud that he's your son. SABRA LANE: James Oaten reporting.