11 Australian IS-Linked Families Blocked from Returning Home from Syria

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Canberra: A group of Australian women and children with alleged ties to the militant Islamic State were forced to turn back to a detention camp in northeastern Syria after leaving earlier this week in a bid to return home. The convoy departed the Roj Camp but was stopped en route to Damascus, where they had planned onward travel to Australia.

The group included 34 Australians mainly women and children from 11 families who were being held in the camp, which houses relatives of suspected Islamic State fighters. Camp officials say relatives of the returnees had coordinated the departure and travelled from Australia to accompany them.

Rashid Omar, an administrator at Roj camp, told reporters that Syrian authorities informed the convoy that procedural approvals for their travel were incomplete. As a result, the families were ordered back to the camp shortly after setting off with a Kurdish escort.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made clear the federal government will not assist with repatriation or provide support for the group’s return, saying Canberra will offer no help and describing the situation as the consequence of choices made by those who joined Islamic State-linked networks.

Although some Australians have previously been brought home from Syrian camps in earlier operations, the government’s current policy remains strict, citing national security concerns and the need to uphold the law for citizens linked to extremist activities. Any individuals who choose to attempt return independently could face legal scrutiny.

Human rights advocates and some community groups have called for greater consideration for the welfare of children in the camps, arguing that prolonged detention in remote facilities can be damaging and that vulnerable minors should be reunited with their families in safer environments.