A former Dutch serviceman who defected to IS has been placed on the national terrorism watch list.

The designation by the interior ministry means 28-year-old Ahmed M. will no longer be able to access his bank account or use his credit card.

The Iraqi-born former air force sergeant, who worked with a helicopter squadron at the Gilze-Rijen airbase, was the first member of the Dutch armed forces to join IS.

The move indicates that ministers believe M. is alive and currently in IS-held territory, NOS reported.

Prime minister Mark Rutte said after his defection in 2015 that jihadists who travelled to Syria would be better off dying in the civil war than returning to the Netherlands.

Four men and four women have also been placed on the watch list by foreign minister Bert Koenders. The list is circulated among EU countries an an attempt to stop suspected terrorists accessing funds elsewhere in Europe.