A former member of the Irish Defence Forces who converted to radical Islam has been detained in Syria, according to reports in Irish newspapers.

The woman is thought to be from the north-east of the republic and left the country several years ago. The Irish Times reports that she is believed to be in her late 30s, and left the forces in 2011, having served in an infantry unit and the country’s air corps.

The Garda released a statement saying: “An Garda Síochána is aware of an Irish woman who left Ireland three or four years ago having become radicalised. She was previously a member of the Irish Defence Forces.”

Her existence appears to have been revealed 10 days ago, when an ITV news crew visited a camp in northern Syria. While they interviewed people alleged to be foreign fighters and their families, the crew noticed that one woman spoke with an Irish accent.

The woman told ITV: “The people don’t have food. They’re struggling for food and money and everything is expensive, so I don’t know how they’re going to keep living.”

A spokesman for Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs said: “Where possible, we will provide consular assistance, but we do not comment on individual cases.”

A source told the Irish Times that as the woman had not contacted the Irish government, she could not be offered consular assistance. They said: “Until we get a request for her for assistance, there is little we can do.”

A spokesman for the Ministry for Justice in Ireland said they were aware of the woman, but that “it would not be appropriate to comment on the detail of security matters, or indeed on individual cases”.