The website says Mr Aksoy was the founder and editor-in-chief of Kurdish Question, which examines the problems of the Kurdish people and other ethnic groups.

It says he completed a university education in film-making and produced pieces for cinema, literature and other fields of art, with a series of short films and poetry.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "The UK has advised for some time against all travel to Syria. As all UK consular services are suspended in Syria, it is extremely difficult to confirm the whereabouts and status of British nationals in the country."

Aladdin Sinayic, a close friend of Mr Aksoy's from London, told the BBC: "Mehmet never fought, the plan was never to fight.

"He told me there are better ways. He wanted to tell the stories of the fighters there, he had so much respect for them, and Mehmet was loved by everybody."