Britons joining Kurds to fight IS ‘security risk’ to UK

British volunteers fighting with Kurdish rebel group YPG against so-called Islamic State in Syria pose a domestic security threat to the UK, a foreign affairs think tank has said. Since 2014, hundreds of people from Western countries have joined the Kurdish rebel group. The Henry Jackson Society said YPG was a front for the banned PKK group and warned that those who join it could be drawn into terror activity once home. It said the training they are even in firearms and explosives also poses a risk, and the government urgently need to stop Britons joining the group. Four Britons have been killed fighting with the Kurds against IS and 29 Western volunteers have died altogether. Kurdish fighters in Syria have driven IS out of large areas of territory. Kyle Orton, from the Henry Jackson Society, said: “Far from battling terrorism they're in effect aiding one proscribed terrorist organisation overcome another. "The government needs to act now to prevent Britons falling into this trap. "If they're already there and want to come back, comprehensive tests need to be put in place to prevent potentially dangerous individuals within our communities."