Australian ‘severed head’ terror duo killed

SYDNEY: Australia is close to confirming the reported death in Iraq of two home-grown militants who shot to infamy last year after being photographed holding the severed heads of Syrian soldiers, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Tuesday.
Australia issued arrest warrants for suspected Australian Daesh fighters Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar after the images, which also showed Sharrouf’s 7-year-old son holding one of the heads, caused a global outcry.
The pair is believed to have been killed in an airstrike on the Iraqi city of Mosul, which is under the control of the Sunni militant group. Their deaths were first reported late Monday by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“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,” Bishop told reporters on Tuesday.
“Given the security situation in Iraq it’s difficult for our authorities to gain the kind of information that would be required to verify these reports.”
Sharrouf, who was convicted in 2005 as part of a plot to blow up a nuclear power plant in New South Wales state, and Elomar, a one-time professional boxer, became the public faces in Australia of the potential danger posed by foreign fighters.