Australian Women & Children Linked to IS Head Home Without Aid

Australian Women And Children Detained In Northeast Syria To Return Home

The Australian government announced on Wednesday that four women and nine children detained in northeast Syria are set to return to Australia. However, they will not receive any government assistance.

One woman and her child were reported to be on a flight from Doha to Sydney, while another group boarded a flight to Melbourne. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported these details.

The Home Affairs Minister’s office did not immediately comment on the group’s travel plans.

Australian Federal Police have stated that some in the group could face arrest and charges upon arrival, while others might remain under investigation. The children are expected to enter community reintegration and support programs.

Some Australian women traveled to Syria between 2012 and 2016 to join their husbands, who had allegedly become members of Islamic State. Following IS’s territorial defeat in 2019, many relatives of suspected fighters were detained in camps, including al-Hol near the Iraqi border. Some returned home, according to Australian media reports.

In January, the United States began moving detained IS members out of Syria after the collapse of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which had been guarding around a dozen facilities holding IS fighters and affiliated civilians, including foreigners.