SYDNEY (TIP): Fifteen Australians, including two suicide bombers, are believed to have died fighting in Syria and Iraq, intelligence chief David Irvine said on August 27, while warning espionage and foreign intervention threats were increasing. Canberra has expressed alarm that Australians have joined violent jihadist groups such as Islamic State (ISIS) overseas.

One Islamic State fighter, Australian man Khaled Sharrouf, sparked outrage when an image of his Sydney-raised son posing with the rotting head of a Syrian soldier was reportedly posted on Twitter. “The draw of foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq is significant and includes more Australians than any other previous extremist conflicts put together,” Irvine said.

He said the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) believed the number of citizens posing a potential security threat had increased substantially as a result. “ASIO believes there are about 60 or so Australians fighting with the two principal extremist al-Qaida derivatives, Jahabat-al-Nusra and the Islamic State in Syria or Iraq,” Irvine said. “We believe 15 Australians have already been killed in the current conflicts, including two young Australian suicide bombers.” He said 100 more people in Australia were “actively supporting” these extremist groups by recruiting new fighters, grooming suicide bombing candidates, and providing funds and equipment.

Australia has boosted its efforts to counter terrorism on fears that the bloody conflicts in Iraq and Syria are creating a new generation of militants, including increasing spending on security and intelligence. Irvine said intelligence agencies were concerned about the dangers posed when those who had fought overseas — potentially with a commitment to violence and training in the use of weapons or bomb-making — returned to Australia. The government also plans to overhaul laws to make it easier to arrest and prosecute terrorists and make it an offence to travel to designated hotspots overseas without a valid reason.