John Robert Gallagher's body starting journey home, says mom

The mother of John Robert Gallagher, a Wheatley-born man killed in Syria fighting with Kurdish forces, says her son's body is on the way home, but it won't return immediately. 

Valerie Carder told CBC News the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed to her that her son's body is in Erbil, Iraq, and will be held there until some paperwork is complete.

Photos of a ceremony in which Gallagher's body was transported in a decorated casket were posted to Facebook Thursday. Carder said a reporter she's been in touch with first drew her attention to the photos. 

"I knew that he was being transported, but I didn't expect the flags and the pallbearers," Carder told CBC. "It was very gratifying and touching for me to see that."

Carder said she was told by Foreign Affairs that her son's body could be transported back to Canada next week. She's expecting an update from the department on Monday.

Carder said she is planning a service for her son in Toronto and is still considering where her son will be laid to rest. 

Initial reports said Gallagher died in an attack by an Islamic State suicide bomber. On Wednesday, Carder told CBC News that an autopsy showed he died of gunshot wounds.