Australian Isis fighters reportedly killed in Iraq

Australian Isis fighters reportedly killed in Iraq

Authorities seek to verify deaths of Khaled Sharrouf and Mohammed Elomar, thought to have been killed by a drone strike

Authorities are working to verify reports two Australian Islamic State fighters have been killed in northern Iraq.

Foreign minister Julie Bishop has acknowledged that the federal government is aware of reports Isis recruits Khaled Sharrouf and Mohammed Elomar are dead following fighting in Mosul.

There have been unconfirmed reports that the pair, who travelled to Syria in 2013 and then to Iraq, were killed in the past week by a drone strike – but it is proving difficult to get information from the war zone.

The reports have come as government MPs are about to see controversial proposed legislation to strip dual-nationality terror supporters of their Australian citizenship.

If reports of the deaths are true it will be a major setback for Isis, a terrorism expert has said.

“If the reports are true and are verified, I think it’ll be a significant blow to the Islamic State,” Australian National University academic Dr Clarke Jones told ABC TV.