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Video: Life On Front Line For Briton Fighting IS

A British man who is fighting Islamic State in Syria has released two videos that show what life is like on the front line.

The new videos supplied to Sky News show Macer Gifford coming under attack from mortar fire and the hole in the ground he calls home.

The ex-public schoolboy from Oxford gave up a job in the City of London to travel to the Middle East to join Kurdish forces in December.

The 28-year-old shot the videos on his mobile phone to show what it is like to fight with the Kurdish People's Protection Units, known as the YPG.

Kurdish forces are fighting the militant group in regions of Iraq and Syria where Kurdish people - some Christian - were previously able to live peacefully.

Islamic State (IS) has captured vast swathes of territory as it tries to establish a new country with a particularly strict form of Islam.

In his commentary, Mr Gifford describes how his fortified farm is just 400 metres from IS positions in northern Syria and he is unable to move around because of sniper fire.

As the camera shows the centre of the farm, he says: "I would cross this - actually I can't cross this open space ... as I said it's about 400m away from Daesh [a term for Islamic State] and the threat of snipers is an ever present danger in the day.

"In fact just yesterday a girl from YPG was bringing over some tea for the soldiers at the front and was hit in the head by a bit of shrapnel from a bullet

"She did not die thankfully. She was rushed off to hospital, but it just goes to show that even when you are careful, it's a very, very dangerous place to be."

In his second video he takes viewers on a short tour of his camp and has to duck and run as the camp avoids a near miss from a mortar round.

He shows the fox hole where he lies down to sleep and another underground pipe which he says is "much more comfortable" than the shacks and sheds which also provide cover.

He also shows off his weapon collection, including a heavy machine gun, a Kalashnikov automatic rifle and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

His bag contains toothpaste, a toothbrush, a solar panel charger, some underwear, two grenades and 200 rounds of ammunition.

In the distance, smoke is seen rising after a coalition air attack on an IS advance post, which he says has left the militants "very quiet ever since".

Mr Gifford, who is prepared to die for his cause, has previously said he hopes his presence will show Kurdish fighters that they have not been forgotten.

He told Sky News: "I believe in freedom. I believe in democracy. I'm willing to put my life on the line to go out and fight."