London, Dec 6 (IANS): Two Britons who went to Syria to join rebel fighters have been jailed for 12 years and eight months each, a media report said Friday.

Yusuf Sarwar and Mohammed Nahin Ahmed, both aged 22, and from Birmingham, were sentenced for engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts, BBC reported.

Sentencing Ahmed and Sarwar, Judge Michael Topolski described the two men as "deeply committed to violent extremism".

He said they had "willingly, enthusiastically and with a great deal of purpose, persistence and determination embarked on a course intended to commit acts of terrorism".

Ahmed's family, which says they helped the police with the investigation, issued a statement saying: "We feel completely betrayed."

They objected to the sentence as "too long", saying they would appeal against it.

The two men were arrested by West Midlands Police's counter-terrorism unit at Heathrow Airport on their return to Britain in January.

Both men pleaded guilty to to terrorism charges at London's Woolwich Crown Court in July. The two friends had travelled to Syria in May 2013, where they are believed to have spent eight months with the Nusra Front, a jihadi group affiliated with Al Qaeda.

Before leaving the country, Sarwar faked documents to convince his family that he was travelling to Turkey as part of a two-week trip organised by Birmingham City University, where he was a student.