Tareq Kamleh (born 1985 or 1986) is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

citizen who fled to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

as a medical doctor to join the Islamic terrorist organisation

ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

, where he performed pediatric work in Raqqa, Syria, in the Islamic State Health Service. On 29 April 2015 Kamleh was brought to

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...

and media attention for a propaganda video he posted from Raqqa. The recruitment video was titled “health services in the Islamic state”, and includes Kamleh, among other medical professionals, urging fellow Muslim ‘brothers and sisters’ to join the

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

. Kamleh is currently wanted by the

Australian Federal Police The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the principal Federal police, federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government responsible for investigating Crime in Australia, crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth ...

in connection to crimes carried out in Raqqa. Tareq Kamleh's whereabouts are currently unknown, although it is presumed he is dead.

Early life and education

Tareq was born in 1985 in

Perth, Western Australia Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. His father was born and raised in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

, before migrating to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. His mother was born in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, before migrating to Australia. She was

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, prior to converting to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. Tareq was an only child. As a child, Tareq Kamleh attended a local primary school in Perth. He was raised in Perth for most of his childhood. At 20, Kamleh travelled to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

to attend

Otago University The University of Otago () is a public research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in Oceania. The university was created by ...

. Kamleh's goal was to get into the medicine school there. Kamleh failed to proceed into Medicine there, and was dismissed as a ‘playboy’ who drank a lot. Tareq then left

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

to go back to Australia where he later joined the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

in 2010. Tareq Kamleh was known to peers as somewhat of a playboy in his youth. He had multiple romantic affairs and drank alcohol prolifically. Despite preaching to be an abiding Muslim, where it is prohibited and impure to consume alcohol, he drank regularly. Kamleh was also somewhat of a ‘womanizer’ and had many different female partners.

Career

After graduating, Kamleh was assigned to the Women and Children's Hospital in the paediatric unit in February 2011. After two years, Kamleh transferred to Mackay Base Hospital in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

from January 2013. During this time, Kamleh also worked at Alice Springs Hospital. Kamleh was a registered doctor in Western Australia prior to 2015. Consequent to Kamleh's recruitment video posting for the

Islamic state The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

, the Medical Board of Australia confirmed on 21 June 2015 that it would be suspending the medical registration of Dr Tareq Kamleh. The board deemed this suspension was due to ‘manage serious risk to public health and safety’.

Joining ISIS

Tareq Kamleh fled Australia in April 2015, flying to

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

before crossing the border illegally into

. This was first brought to Australian Government attention after Kamleh appeared in a recruitment video for

. ISIS used Tareq Kamleh in a recruitment video as a tool to recruit more western doctors and nurses to fight for their cause, one of ISIS main recruitment strategies. Kamleh provided medical aid in the paediatric division in the

Raqqa Raqqa (, also , Kurdish language, Kurdish: ''Reqa'') is a city in Syria on the North bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine city and b ...

hospital, boasting a state-of-the-art facility in his recruitment video. Kamleh appeared in another video in 2017 with a long beard, a bulletproof vest on and an AK-47, fighting for the ISIS cause. After joining the organization, Kamleh used the name Abu Yosef Al-Australie, aka Abu Yusuf. This name change was of cultural significance to Tareq Kamleh, protesting his Australian citizenship whilst converting to Islam to fight for ISIS. He was also nicknamed Dr Jihad by the media. Consequent to fleeing Australia, Tareq Kamleh engaged in a relationship with Ariel Bradley. Bradley was an American woman who fled

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

to fight for the Islamic state and was previously married to Yasin Mohammad, who was killed in an airstrike in 2015. Ariel Bradley and Tareq Kamleh got married after Mohammad was killed. Bradley believed it was her civic duty to marry an Islamic state fighter to support the cause.

ISIS

The Islamic state of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a jihadist terrorist group with a violent agenda and ideologies. ISIS claims religious authority over Muslims, and is the most successful terrorist organisation ever in attracting foreigners to join the ranks, thanks to their recruitment methods. ISIS will often look for foreigners whose ideologies can easily be exploited and manipulated, as well as foreigners looking for ego or adventure. In Tareq Kamleh's case, ISIS effectively manipulated his religious beliefs and ego, attracting him to join the cause. ISIS also use foreign recruits in recruitment videos to attract more foreign fighters. Kamleh can be seen in a recruitment video, asking for his foreign Muslim "brothers and sisters" to join the cause.

Syria and ISIS

Syria is a country located in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, neighbouring countries like

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. Syria was also a stronghold for the ISIS terrorist organisation, which occupied about a third of its territory at its peak in 2017. ISIS forces had a headquarters located in Raqqa, the ISIS stronghold of Syria. Raqqa was a strategic base for ISIS, occupying the northern parts of Syria and Iraq along a corridor from

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

, Syria to Diyala, Iraq. When Kamleh fled Australia, he made his way to Raqqa to operate in the local paediatric hospitals. Kamleh reportedly kept a journal during his time in Raqqa, which was found during a gun fight in the city's west. The journal was retrieved by a British soldier during the raid of an ISIS safehouse and had Kamleh's name on it. The journal professed Kamleh's feelings about the war, claiming he was unhappy with ISIS refusal to support the orphanages with funding from the cause. Kamleh also complained in his alleged journal about his fear for the future of the caliphate due to animal abuse from other Jihadists. In September 2017, a U.S.-backed coalition of

Syrian Kurds The Kurdish population of Syria is the country's largest ethnic minority, usually estimated at around 10% of the Syrian population Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Syria, constituting around 10 per cent of the population – around 2 ...

and Arabs known as the

Syrian Democratic Forces The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurds in Syria, Kurdish-led coalition of U.S.-backed Left-wing politics, left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration ...

recaptured key locations within Syria, including Raqqa. This was the location Kamleh was reportedly killed during the air strikes. By October 2017, ISIS had lost 95% of its total territory, including its stronghold, Raqqa.

Later life and death

Tareq Kamleh is currently wanted by the

for crimes of terrorism and faces up to 25 years in jail if he returns to Australia. An arrest warrant has been filed for Tareq Kamleh in Adelaide, Australia, claiming offences he apparently committed in Raqqa in 2015 after fleeing Australia, including joining and aiding a terrorist organization. Tareq Kamleh was reported to have died during the battle of Raqqa in September 2017, reported by multiple Islamic state fighters on their Twitter accounts. Whilst this death has not been confirmed by reliable sources, it was proposed he either died in the bombings of Raqqa in late 2017 or was taken prisoner by the

. This is less likely as his capture should have been reported on by now. Lastly, it is possible Kamleh fled Raqqa and is still at large. These three possibilities were reported by different Islamic state fighters. In February 2025 Kamleh appeared as the mainn protagonist in a documentary DFwhile being imprisoned at the Military Basis of Syrian Democratic Forces in Hasaka with his face censored.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamleh, Tareq 21st-century Australian criminals Australian paediatricians Australian people of German descent Australian people of Palestinian descent Criminals from Western Australia Fugitives wanted by Australia Fugitives wanted on terrorism charges Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant members from Australia Possibly living people University of Adelaide alumni Year of birth uncertain ZDF, 2025
''CRISIS – Hinter der Front Was wollte dieser Mann beim Islamischen Staat?!'
nline9 News. ccessed 20 July 2025