Australia Receives Another Group of Women, Children Linked to Islamic State from Syria
Australia’s government confirmed that seven women and 12 children were repatriated on Qatar Airways flights, less than three weeks after another group of 13 Australians in similar circumstances returned from Syrian camps.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Two planes carrying 19 Australian women and children linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) group in Syria arrived in Melbourne and Sydney on Tuesday, as Australian authorities warned that some returnees could still face criminal charges.
Australia’s government confirmed that seven women and 12 children were repatriated on Qatar Airways flights, less than three weeks after another group of 13 Australians in similar circumstances returned from Syrian camps.
According to a joint statement by Australian police and intelligence agencies, two women accompanied by seven children landed in Melbourne, while four women and six children arrived in Sydney about an hour later.
Authorities said no charges were filed immediately upon arrival, but investigations into the returnees’ alleged activities in Syria remain ongoing. Earlier this month, three of four women who had previously returned to Australia were charged with slavery and terrorism-related offenses and remain in custody.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said anyone found to have committed crimes while associated with ISIS “can expect to face the full force of the law.”
“The government has not and will not provide any assistance to this group,” Burke said in a statement.
“These are people who have made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organization and to place their children in an unspeakable situation,” he added.
Burke said Australian law enforcement and intelligence agencies have been preparing for such returns since 2014 and have established long-term monitoring and security measures.
“The priority of the government, as always, is the safety of the Australian community,” he said.
Earlier Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Parliament that he had “nothing but contempt for anyone who has any sympathy for ISIS.”
Thousands of foreign nationals traveled to Syria and Iraq during the height of ISIS’s territorial control between 2014 and 2019. Since the group’s defeat, many women and children linked to suspected fighters have remained in detention camps in Western Kurdistan (northeastern Syria), while governments around the world continue to debate repatriation and prosecution policies.