Australian authorities announced that 13 citizens with links to alleged Islamic State members — four women and nine children — will be returned from the Roj camp in Syria and are expected to arrive at Sydney and Melbourne airports on Thursday.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government will not provide assistance to the returnees and described their decision to travel from the camp as unacceptable. He said he was notified after a travel booking was made. A temporary exclusion order that can bar high‑risk individuals from returning for up to two years remains in force for one woman from the same camp.
Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said some people will be arrested on arrival and face criminal charges, while others will continue to be investigated. Authorities have gathered evidence in Syria as part of inquiries into whether Australians committed offences under domestic law, including travelling to a prohibited area and alleged involvement in slave trading. Children will be enrolled in community reintegration and support programs.
Earlier in February, Syrian authorities prevented a larger group of 34 women and children from leaving the Roj camp. Australian officials say that between 2012 and 2016 some women travelled to Syria to join partners who had become IS members. After the collapse of the so‑called caliphate in 2019, many of those women and others were detained in camps; some have since returned to Australia.
Burke warned there are substantial limits on what authorities can do to stop citizens from re‑entering Australia, but noted that law enforcement and intelligence agencies have maintained contingency plans since 2014 to manage people linked to extremist groups.