A former U.S. Marine has joined a growing foreign legion of Western fighters battling ISIS on the frontline just weeks after he starred in a survival reality TV show.

Photos have emerged on social media that apparently show Joshua Bell, 28, who appeared in the third season of Naked and Afraid, a reality survival show produced by the Discovery Channel. In 'Nicaragua Nightmare', Bell alongside his fellow contestant, Amanda Leigh, had to survive 21 days in the Central American jungle.

The episode was aired in early September 2014 and saw Bell suffering with fever and sickness while helping a female fellow contestant make a bikini out of small strips of duct-tape. Just two months later, on November 10, Bell arrived on the frontline in the besieged city of Kobane

Bell is among the latest foreign volunteers - many of them ex-US, British and Canadian military - to join a group called The Lions Of Rojava, who have been mounting a brave counter attack against Islamic State terrorists in northern Syria over the past few months.

The Lions Of Rojava act as a foreign legion for the Kurdish People's Protection Unit (YPG) - a group that has been mounting a brave resistance against ISIS in Kobane for more that two months.

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Brave: Joshua Bell, 28 (second from right) is among the latest foreign volunteers to join a Kurdish anti-ISIS group called The Lions Of Rojava. Here he is pictured with Brits James Hughes (left) and Jamie Read (right)

Television: Just weeks ago Joshua Bell (right) appeared in the third season of Naked and Afraid, a reality survival show produced by the Discovery Channel

Bell was a contestant on Naked and Afraid on September 7. In the show, both contestants are strangers and have to work together to survive unassisted in a hostile environment.

In each episode, contestants have to strip naked and meet each other in a tough environment, normally in the middle of a thick jungle or a remote island. The two survivalists have to find clean water, food and build a weather proof shelter.

Bell is 28-years-old and was born in Florida. At the age of three, he and his family moved to South Carolina before switching to Roxboro, North Carolina, when he was just six years old.

He is understood to have served for four years in the US marines, reaching the rank of Corporal and being deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Past: The episode was aired in early September 2014 and saw Bell suffering with fever and sickness while helping female fellow contestant Amanda Leigh make a bikini out of small strips of duct-tape (pictured)

Suffered: Despite his reputation as a survivalist and all-round tough guy, Joshua Bell surprisingly quit Naked and Afraid after just five days. His short stay in the jungle was dogged by vomiting and dehydration

A message posted on a Facebook page set up to help raise money for Bell's journey to join the Lions of Rojava says he was awarded both the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and a combat action ribbon.

On the same page Bell wrote his desire to fight against ISIS: 'I ain't doing it for glory, or praise, or fame, or money. It needs to be done. I am scared s***less. But if you ain't scared you are a liability.

'There is a part of my life I do not share very often. I am absolute hell in a gunfight. I learned early on in the Marine Corps that I had extreme combat proficiency. Skills that I quickly honed, and still continue to sharpen regularly,' he added.

'I never thought I would use these skills again...However, an opportunity to re-enter the fray has presented itself,' he went on to say.

A photograph shared on the Lions of Rojava Facebook page this week showed Joshua Matson (bottom left), Jamie Read (top, second from left), Joshua Bell (bottom right) and Jamie Hughes posing alongside an unidentified man (top, second from right), Briton (top left) and American (top centre)

Fundraising: Joshua Bell struggled to raise enough money to fund his flight to Syria. As a result a friend set up a website selling yellow T-shirts bearing the slogan 'Project: Give Josh a lift'

Despite the Facebook page and a GoFundMe account, it is understood that Bell struggled to make the $3,500 he said he needed to travel to join the Lions of Rojava through donations alone.

As a result a friend named Jonathan Whitfield set up a website selling T-shirts bearing the slogan 'Project: Give Josh a lift' to raise money.

The T-shirts are yellow and green to match the colours of the Kurdish flag, with the flag itself also appearing on the T-shirts alongside that of the United States. Beneath the two flags is the phrase 'Brothers from another mother against terrorism'.

When he was still unable to raise the cash for the journey, Bell was forced to sell his personal Tabuk sniper rifle for $1,400 to pay for his plane tickets.

Armed: According to his biography on the show, Bell served with the US Marine Corps and had a gunsmithing business. He is understood to have arrived in northern Syria in late September or early October

According to his biography on Naked and Afraid, Bell now owns gunsmithing business.

He enjoys spending 'a lot of time hunting whatever is in season.' It also states 'he loves to cook freshly harvested game, and does so every chance he gets.'

Bell's short biography on the Discovery channel website states: 'Survival is his way of life, since Joshua lives pretty far outside of town. Growing up, his family took what they needed from the land, and bought the rest in town. They grew fresh vegetables, hunted, and fished.'

Despite his supposed reputation as a survivalist and all-round tough guy, Bell surprisingly quit the show after just five days.

His short stay in the jungle was dogged by vomiting and dehydration as Bell struggled in the hot jungle. His fellow survivalist, Amanda Leigh, went on to survive the full 21 days in the jungle.

The pair were later dubbed 'the duct tape duo' on social media in honour of 'Country boy' Bell's best achievement on the show, which was to make a bikini out of duct tape for fellow survivalist, Leigh.

Volunteers: Among the many Western fighters joining the Lions of Rojava in their campaign to defeat ISIS are Jamie Read from north Lanarkshire, Scotland (left) and James Hughes (right) from Reading in Berkshire

Military background: James Hughes, is understood to originally be from Reading in Berkshire and served three tours of Afghanistan during his five years of service in the British army

When asked if he would want to appear on the show again, Bell later commented on Facebook: 'I hope I get to try again one day.'

Bell arrived in Syria on November 10 and joined the Lions of Rojava - a foreign legion within the ranks of the Kurdish YPG force.

He is likely to have been inspired by the group's leader Jordan Matson, who made headlines as one of the first American nationals to join the Kurdish militia. Matson has become a poster boy for the Kurds, who have been calling on fighters from around the world to volunteer in their ranks.

In recent weeks the number of Western fighters - many of them ex-military - joining the Lions of Rojava in their campaign to defeat the Islamic State has swelled massively.

These photographs show an Gill Rosenberg, 31 - an Israeli-Canadian fighting alongside The Lions Of Rojava

Photographs of Ms Rosenberg frequently appear on the group's Facebook page

Among the Westerners who have travelled to fight with The Lions Of Rojava are at least three British nationals.

James Hughes, is understood to originally be from Reading in Berkshire and served three tours of Afghanistan during his five years of service in the British army.

He has been pictured fighting alongside both Matson and another Briton named Jamie Read.

Read is originally from Newmains in north Lanarkshire, Scotland and it is understood he originally trained with the French army.

In postings on his Facebook page last week, Read detailed fierce gun battles with ISIS militants in Kobane. Among those replying to his messages was Jordan Matson.

Fightback: The Lions Of Rojava act as a foreign legion for the Kurdish People's Protection Unit (YPG) - a group that has been mounting a brave resistance against ISIS in Kobane for more that two months

ISIS first besieged the Syrian city of Kobane in September - raising their flag over a number of areas

A photograph shared on the official Lions of Rojava Facebook page earlier this week showed Bell, Matson, Read and Hughes posing together with assault rifles and wearing full military fatigues in northern Syria.

Also in the seven-man photograph is a man described as a third Briton, who has previously been pictured in other images uploaded to the social media accounts affiliated with the YPG.

The group of men also includes an as yet unidentified American national who appears a lot older than the other fighters, wears casual clothes and has a hat pulled low over his face.

Blast: Thanks to Kurdish resistance fighters on the ground and US-led airstrikes (pictured), ISIS has now been largely pushed out the centre of Kobane

Details of the Lions of Rojava emerged as ISIS reportedly destroyed one of the oldest churches in Iraq with dynamite. According to local activists, St George's Church and a small nunnery were blown up in northern Mosul on Monday.

The destruction of the church symbolises a destructive policy of violence against religious sites which are deemed 'unIslamic' by the hardline extremist group.

In July, Islamic State blew up a number of Shi'ite mosques and churches as well as the shrine of Jonah and the tomb of Daniel. Prior to its destruction, the shrine of Jonah had been a popular pilgrim site for many Christians from around the world.

Mosul has been held by Islamic State since the group, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, rapidly seized Iraq's second largest city in June 2014.