Nine British medical students have travelled to Syria to work in hospitals in Islamic State-held areas, it emerged last night. Four women and five men entered the country last week, keeping their plans secret from relatives until shortly before they crossed the border. Turkish politician Mehmet Al Ediboglu told The Observer: ‘We all assume they are in Tel Abyad now, which is under Isis control. Scroll down for video . Nine British medical students have travelled to Syria to work in hospitals in Islamic State-held areas. From left to right: Hisham Mohammed Fadlallah, Lena Maumoon Abdulqadir and Tamer Ahmed Ebu Sebah . The four women and five men apparently kept their plans secret from their families. Left to right: Rowan Kamal Zine El Abidine, Sami Ahmed Kadir and Ismail Hamadoun . They are believed to now be in Tel Abyad, according to a Turkish politician. From left to right: Nada Sami Kader, Mohamed Osama Badri Mohammed and Tasneem Suleyman . 'The conflict out there is fierce, so medical help must be needed.’ He added: 'Let's not forget about the fact that they are doctors; they went there to help, not to fight. So this case is a little bit different.' Mr Ediboglu, who has met the students’ families, said they felt the young Britons had been ‘cheated [and] brainwashed’. Volunteer: Lena Abdulqadir has gone to Syria to work in ISIS controlled hospitals . The group, in their late teens and early 20s, are all Britons of Sudanese descent studying at the University of Medical Sciences and Technology in Khartoum, where it is feared they were radicalised. They have been named as Hisham Mohammed Fadlallah, Lena Maumoon Abdulqadir, Tamer Ahmed Ebu Sebah, Rowan Kamal Zine El Abidine, Sami Ahmed Kadir, Ismail Hamadoun, Nada Sami Kader, Mohamed Osama Badri Mohammed and Tasneem Suleyman. They have been joined by two other medics from the United States and Canada, also of Sudanese origin. Mr Ediboglu wrote on his Facebook page: 'Eleven doctors - nine British and two Sudanese - came to Turkey a week ago to join ISIS. 'The families of the young people have been in Turkey to search for them and bring them back. 'Our greatest hope is to save the doctors from ISIS and reunite them with their families.' Mr Ediboglu added: ‘These kids were born and raised in England, but they were sent to Sudan to study at medical school.’ The nine flew to Istanbul on March 12, he said, and took a bus to the Syrian border the next day. The families were alerted only when one of the students, Lena Maumoon Abdulqadir, 19, who was born in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, sent a Whatsapp message to her sister saying she wanted to ‘volunteer to help wounded Syrian people’. Accompanied with a grinning selfie, the youngster is reported as having written to her sister: 'Don’t worry about us, we’ve reached Turkey and are on our way to volunteer helping wounded Syrian people.' Her father is thought to have rushed to Turkey immediately after learning of her plans. Speaking to Turkey's Birgun newspaper, he said: 'She was living in [Africa] a land which needs a lot of doctors everywhere. 'Why would she go all the way to Syria for volunteering?' A friend of Tasneem Suleyman Huseyin in Khartoum told the BBC the young woman and her friends had 'radically changed' a few years ago and started wearing the full veil, which 'shocked a lot of their friends' in the British Sudanese community. Turkish politician Mehmet Al Ediboglu said he and the families of the medics assume they are in Tel Abyad (pictured), which is under ISIS control . A fluttering Islamic State flag is flown over a hill in the town of Tel Abyad on the Syrian-Turkish border . Ahmed Babikir, students' dean at Khartoum's private University of Medical Sciences told AFP five students university were missing after travelling to Turkey. In February, three east London schoolgirls fled from their homes, reportedly to become jihadi brides in Syria. Kadiza Sultana, 16, Shamima Begum, 15, and Amira Abase, 15 were spotted on CCTV in Turkey, where they are thought to have been ushered over the border by a 'fixer' who provided them with false documents. They are believed to have followed in the footsteps of their friend Sharmeena Begum, who went to the same school as the girls in Bethnal Green, and fled to the region before them. Last week, jihadi twin Jamila Henry, 21, was caught allegedly trying to enter Syria, having reportedly already lived in Raqqa, the group's de facto capital, with her seven-month-old son. She was arrested at Luton Airport when she landed back into the UK. Earlier, three teenage boys had also been stopped in Turkey, apparently trying to enter Syria to join ISIS. It came as five teenage girls and a 16-year-old boy were banned from travelling abroad after showing an interest in joining the terror group. 'They all have British passports and are of Sudanese origin,' he said. 'Their families have travelled after them to stop them from joining IS. We are not able to confirm they have crossed into Syria.' The Home Office is reported to have said the group would not automatically face prosecution if they returned to the UK, as long as they could prove they had not been fighting for IS. The Foreign Office said: ‘We are providing consular assistance to the families and have informed the Turkish police, to try to ascertain their whereabouts.’ A Home Office spokesman said: 'The UK advises against all travel to Syria and parts of Iraq. 'Anyone who does travel to these areas, even for humanitarian reasons, is putting themselves in considerable danger. 'The best way for the public to help is to donate to or otherwise support UK-registered charities with ongoing relief operations.' It comes after five teenage girls who took an interest in Syria were banned from travelling abroad amid fears more British youngsters are planning to join the terror organisation. The girls, two of whom are 15 and three 16, had their passports removed by a High Court judge after concerns over their alleged plans were raised by a local authority. The adults responsible for them were also stripped of their passports. Kadiza Sultana, 16, Amira Abase and Shamima Begum, both 15, fled their north London homes in February and were seen on CCTV in Turkey shortly afterwards . The previous day a 16-year-old boy from Brighton was also banned from travelling abroad following the deaths of his older brothers, both killed in Syria. Earlier three teenage boys were thrown out of the country after being picked up in Istanbul as they tried to cross the border. Their British parents phoned police after the boys, aged 17 and 19, went missing. Their arrival back in the UK came as footage of three north London schoolgirls who had earlier left the country to join frontline militants emerged. In February Kadiza Sultana, 16, Shamima Begum, 15, and Amira Abase, 15, all fled to Syria. The girls were captured on CCTV in the UK and in Turkey where they are thought to have been ushered over the border by an ISIS 'fixer' who provided them with false documents. Sharmeena Begum, who went to the same school as the girls in Bethnal Green, travelled to the region before them.
Families alerted when one sent a Whatsapp message to sister near border . Lena Abdulqadir said she wanted to ‘volunteer to help wounded Syrians'
Teenagers born and raised in England and studied medicine in Sudan . Officials believe they have gone to work in hospitals in war-torn country .