A group of seven women and 12 children linked to the Islamic State is set to return to Australia after years spent in Syria, according to Tony Burke, the Minister for Home Affairs, Immigration and Citizenship, Cyber Security, and the Arts. The individuals, all Australian nationals, recently left the Roj camp, which is run by Syrian Kurdish forces.
Burke stressed that the government would not provide support to the returnees and made clear that any criminal activity would be dealt with under Australian law. He said those involved had made
the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation
and placed their children in extremely difficult circumstances.
According to national broadcaster ABC, the group is expected to arrive in Melbourne and Sydney in the coming days. Their return follows a separate repatriation earlier this month, when 13 other IS-linked Australians—four women and nine children—were brought back from Syria.
That earlier operation led to immediate law enforcement action. Two women, reportedly a mother and daughter, were arrested upon arrival in Melbourne. Authorities allege they kept a female slave after travelling to Syria in 2014 to support Islamic State. They had been detained by Kurdish forces since 2019.
A third woman was arrested in Sydney and charged with entering a restricted area and joining a terrorist organisation.
