linked women and children return to Sydney and Melbourne
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- A group of six Australian women and their children linked to Islamic State returned to Sydney and Melbourne after being stranded in the al-Roj camp in northeast Syria since 2019.
- Some of the women may face criminal charges related to their travel to Syria about a decade ago, with previous returnees arrested on offences including crimes against humanity and joining IS.
- Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke emphasized the government provided no assistance to the group and warned that any crimes committed would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
- Authorities have been preparing for the group's return since 2014 and have plans in place to monitor them, with the recent arrivals believed to be the last Australians held in the Syrian camp.
- One woman remains in Syria under a two-year ban on returning to Australia for national security reasons, choosing to stay with her child who is an Australian citizen eligible to return.