Australian women and children linked to IS fighters from Syria head to Sydney

Australian women and children detained in Syria after the fall of the self-proclaimed Islamic State have returned home.
Detained since 2019, four women and 13 children were flown from the Al Roj camp on Thursday afternoon to Erbil in Iraq to travel back to Sydney, the AAP news agency understands.
Earlier this month, the Albanian government approved a rescue plan for 16 women and 42 children from IS families.

The first removed people were assessed as the most vulnerable of those detained.

Letta Taylor, deputy director and head of counterterrorism at Human Rights Watch, told SBS News that, if confirmed, the Australian government deserves credit for the mission.
“If this is confirmed, I take my hat off to the new Australian government for taking this long overdue step that the previous government didn’t,” she said.
“Australian children who were forced to live under ISIS and then in squalid, locked-in camps in northeast Syria have endured unimaginable horrors.”
She said the government should take care of the repatriated citizens upon their return.
“As a next step, the authorities should ensure the rehabilitation of all returnees,” she said.
“They can spy on adults and prosecute them according to the law. And the government should bring other Australians home as well.

“Australia can play a leading role in the fight against terrorism through the orderly repatriation of its citizens who have been held for years without charge or trial in northeast Syria.”

People and tents in the Al Roj camp in Syria.

Earlier this month, the Albanian government approved a rescue plan for 16 women and 42 children from IS families. Source: Getty, AFP / Delil Suleiman

Reports say the federal government has been working with Kurdish authorities to extract, including DNA testing the people to prove they are Australian citizens.

It is understood that most of the children were born in Syria, which means that they will travel to Australia for the first time.
Germany, France and Denmark are other countries that have returned citizens home from Syria.
Opposition home affairs spokesman Karen Andrews said the government should release information about the mission.

“Sensitive missions that put Australian lives at risk, including in overseas camps, must be handled with caution and with due regard for public information,” Ms Andrews said in a statement.

“The Home Secretary needs to clarify how this level of information – prior to the completion of a mission or missions – is currently in the public domain.
“If this is a leak, the prime minister should launch an investigation. These men are sworn to protect the interests of the Australians.”
The Home Office said it could not comment on the withdrawal given the sensitive nature of the issues involved.
Earlier this month, Sydney resident Kamal Dabbusi, the father and grandfather of one of the Australian women and three children at the camp, expressed hope that the detainees would be returned safely soon.

— with AARP