Australians returned to Syrian ISIS family camp after attempted return to Australia
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The news: A group of Australian families suspected of having links to Islamic State militants were forced to turn around after leaving a camp in Syria to try to return home to Australia.
The context: A co-director of the Al Roj camp in north-eastern Syria, Hukmiya Mohamed, told Reuters that the 34 Australians had been handed to members of their families who had come to Syria for the release on Monday morning. They were put on small buses with a military escort to travel to Damascus, from where they had planned onward travel to Australia.
Sources told Reuters the families were returned to the camp shortly after leaving due to “technical problems” between the families and the Damascus government.
A camp official told the Sydney Morning Herald that the group’s travel had been paused for an unspecified period of time. The official speculated that the three Australian men accompanying the women and children had not organised the correct permission between the region's governing factions, causing the delay.
The official insisted “it’s not cancelled, it’s postponed for a period of time”.
Responding to news that the group was attempting to return to Australia, the Australian government said in a statement that it “is not and will not repatriate people from Syria.”
"Our security agencies have been monitoring — and continue to monitor — the situation in Syria to ensure they are prepared for any Australians seeking to return to Australia. People in this cohort need to know that if they have committed a crime and if they return to Australia they will be met with the full force of the law. The safety of Australians and the protection of Australia's national interests remain the overriding priority”, the statement continued.
Thousands of people believed to be linked to IS militants have been held at the Al Roj and Al Hol camps in Syria since the group was driven from power in 2019. The Al Roj camp holds more than 2,000 people from 40 different nationalities, the majority of them women and children.
The sources: Reuters, SMH, ABC, AFR, The Australian
