Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has labelled former Coalition MP Wyatt Roy “stupid”, after Mr Roy revealed he had been involved in a brush with Islamic State during a trip to Kurdistan, Iraq.

“Please, don’t emulate what Wyatt Roy did,” Mr Turnbull told media on Friday, adding that Mr Roy had acted “in defiance” of government advice.

“What he did was wrong.”

Gunfire and armed men can be seen in footage provided to SBS by the former MP, who said he had not been expecting to be caught in crossfire when travelling to Kurdistan, in the north of Iraq.

Speaking from Iraq, Mr Roy told media he was visiting a friend who works in the area providing security.

He said he had only arrived a few moments before the attack began.

“For about half an hour we were being attacked by Daesh terrorists who were somewhere between one kilometre and 500 meters away with 50-cal weapons and RPG fire and mortars,” Mr Roy told SBS from Erbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan.

He said an airstrike by coalition airforces was called in the Peshmerga were able to push them back.

In a column recounting his experience for The Australian, Mr Roy said the calmness of most of the soldiers betrayed how used to it they were to being under attack.

“During a lull after half an hour, we were told to drive back – fast. By the time we got back to the centre of the town the sound of coalition jets already hung heavy in the air,” he wrote. “We were later told that two strikes hit the attackers, successfully subduing the offensive.

“This was a stark reminder of the crucial tactical role our air force is performing in Iraq and Syria, and it was a lesson the grateful soldiers asked me to take back home with me.”

Mr Roy said the assault took place in the Sinjar region, west of Mosul, which appears to fall outside of the declared areas where it would be an offence to travel to.

In a statement, Ms Bishop said: “It was irresponsible of Wyatt Roy to travel to the front line of the conflict between [IS] and Kurdish forces in Northern Iraq, in a region regarded as very high risk.

“He has placed himself at risk of physical harm and capture, and acted in defiance of government advice,” she said.

“The government does not endorse or approve of Mr Roy’s actions, and strongly urges other Australians to follow the official advice of do not travel to Iraq.”

#Exclusive: Footage provided by Wyatt Roy of a deadly confrontation between Islamic State and Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Iraq pic.twitter.com/szfLmrlZKI

— SBS News (@SBSNews) September 29, 2016

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advises Australians to not travel to Iraq or Syria.

Labor’s foreign spokeswoman Penny Wong earlier called on the Coalition to explain what the former MP was doing in the war zone and whether he had been provided with any government assistance.

“This seems a very unwise, and potentially dangerous act for a former member of Parliament, who should be expected to know better,” Ms Wong said in a statement.

“War zones are not places for people to act out their boyhood fantasies,” she said.

On Wednesday, the American University of Iraq posted a photo of Mr Roy attending a question and answer forum with some students.

Former Australian member of parliament Wyatt Roy @MrWyattR having a Q&A with students pic.twitter.com/Wjr6AHH8sR

— American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) (@auisofficial) September 28, 2016

https://twitter.com/BarzoBiza/status/781057724540936192

Australia’s Ambassador to Israel, Dave Sharma, also tweeted a photo of Mr Roy at a federal government innovation centre in Tel Aviv.

Great to show fmr Assistant Innovation Minister Wyatt Roy our Tel Aviv Landing Pad, now up and running. pic.twitter.com/tNSerof99U

— Ralph King 🇦🇺🇮🇱 (@AusAmbIsrael) September 15, 2016

Mr Roy posted on Facebook that he was leaving the country on September 7.

He now works as an independent director for financial technology fund H20cean, alongside Seven Network Sunrise host David Koch.

He was one of the highest-profile casualties of the July 2 federal election, losing his Queensland seat of Longman to Labor’s Susan Lamb.

The location of the conflict between Islamic State and Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the Middle East. Photo: Australian Government National Security

-with ABC