A FORMER soldier from Malvern who travelled to Syria to join the fight against Islamic State last month has returned home.

James Hughes, aged 26, spent three weeks on the front lines in Rojava in the north of the war-torn country and returned home, along with friend Jamie Read from north Lanarkshire, last week.

Speaking to Sky News the pair have revealed they have had panic alarms fitted to their homes for fear of reprisals from extremists, and described the conditions in Syria as “like World War One”.

Mr Hughes, who served three tours in Afghanistan, said he made the trip as he “felt compelled” to take up arms against the militant group.

"I could not justify sitting back in the UK and watching IS pretty much do what they like," he said.

Although the two are not serving soldiers and were recruited by a group calling itself the Lions of Rojava, last month a statement released on their behalf denied they were mercenaries.

On their return to Britain the pair were detailed and questioned at Heathrow Airport for six hours, but they were not arrested.

They also revealed they had made a pact to take their own lives if they were captured while fighting in the border town.

Mr Read, aged 24, said: "Nobody wants to get captured by IS, nobody wants to end up on YouTube getting their head cut off. Nobody wants that.

“As harsh as it sounds, it's probably the better way to go."

The 24-year-old, who previously said he was spurred to join the fight by the murder of aid worker Alan Henning, said he and Mr Hughes’ homes were now both under monitoring by counter-terror police.

"The counter-terrorism police have got our houses red-flagged in the sense of if any calls come out from that area they will be straight to our house,” he said.

During the interview the two again denied they were mercenaries, saying they had returned home to "a lot of debt"

The Home Office has warned against any travel to Syria, saying anyone who did so was putting themselves in “considerable danger”.

Taxi driver Alan Henning was murdered by a masked militant known as Jihadi John in October and footage appearing to show his death appeared on the internet days later.