Released Islamic State Australians return to Syrian camp

ROJ CAMP,— Syrian Kurdish authorities on Monday released 34 Australians, relatives of Islamic State group members, who had been held at the Roj camp in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), the camp director told the media.

The Australians were initially set to leave Syria for Australia but had to return to the Roj camp due to coordination issues with the Damascus government, a Kurdish official told AFP.

Mrs. Hakmiyeh Ibrahim, co-director of Roj camp, said the women and children, from 11 families, were handed over to relatives who traveled from Australia to collect them.

They were placed on small buses heading to Damascus under military escort in preparation for departure.

Reporters described women wearing full veils, sunglasses, and surgical masks, accompanied by children carrying luggage as they boarded the minibuses.

However, the convoy was forced to turn back due to what camp official Rashid Omar described as “poor coordination between their relatives and the Damascus government.”

Family representatives were working to resolve the situation with Syrian authorities.

Ibrahim, the camp director, noted that these Australians were the last held at Roj. The camp still houses 2,201 people of approximately 50 nationalities.

A spokesperson from Australia’s Department of Home Affairs said Monday that the government is “not repatriating people from Syria.”

The spokesperson added that Australian security agencies continue to monitor the situation to prepare for any Australians seeking to return.

“Where Australians returning to Australia have allegedly breached Australian law, they will be, where appropriate, and on a case-by-case basis, subject to law enforcement action,” the statement said.

Kurdish forces continue to control the Roj camp in northeast Syria, which detains relatives of foreign jihadists.

The Kurds withdrew from the larger Al-Hol camp in January under pressure from Syrian government-aligned Islamist security forces, who then took control.

Since then, thousands of family members of foreign jihadists have left Al-Hol, reportedly smuggled to unknown locations. The camp had housed roughly 24,000 people, mostly Syrians, as well as Iraqis and more than 6,000 foreigners.

Repatriating relatives of IS members has been controversial in Australia. Some politicians have said these individuals may pose national security risks, while groups such as Human Rights Watch have praised the government for rescuing citizens from harsh conditions.

In 2023, Save the Children Australia filed a legal case seeking the return of 11 women and 20 children from Roj camp.

The U.S. military last week completed a transfer of 5,700 adult male Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq.

Ibrahim said Syrian Kurdish authorities had previously released other detainees through coordination with foreign governments.

Roj camp also holds British-born Shamima Begum, whose citizenship was revoked by the UK in 2019 over national security concerns.

“Shamima Begum’s situation is the same as that of all women in Roj camp. If her country wants her back, our doors are open,” Ibrahim said.

(With files from AFP | Reuters)