An Irish former altar boy has become the latest suicide bomber to blow himself up as part of ISIS’s furious defence of Mosul, its last major stronghold in Iraq.

Khalid Kelly, born Terrence Edward in south Dublin in 1967, converted to Islam according to Wahhabism thoughts when serving a jail term in Saudi Arabia for illegally brewing homemade alcohol.

He was known in Iraq by the nom de guerre Abu Usama al-Irlandi – a reference to his eldest son and homeland.

Pictures of him standing with a rifle, handheld radio and baseball cap in front of a suicide attack vehicle, circulated on social media soon after the attack, theguardian reports.

He was reportedly near the city of Tel Afar, west of Mosul on the route to Syria, where ISIS is under attack from Hashd Al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces).

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Armed Forces continue to advance on all fronts surrounding Mosul.

In the eastern part of the city, Iraqi government troops have already seized several neighbourhoods during fierce urban clashes.

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