Australia Bars Citizen from Returning from IS Camp in Syria
Only one Australian linked to IS blocked, as 33 others remain in limbo in Syria’s al-Roj camp.
- One Australian citizen banned from returning for two years due to IS links; 33 others not barred.
- Group of women and children, including 23 minors, turned back by Syrian authorities after camp release
- Officials and camp director warn of rising security and humanitarian risks for children in al-Roj.
Australia has blocked one of its citizens from returning home for up to two years due to links with the Islamic State (IS) group.
The individual is part of a group of 34 Australian women and children who attempted to return after being released from a Syrian camp earlier this week, only to be turned away by Syrian authorities for “technical reasons.”
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the ban was issued based on advice from security agencies, adding that the other 33 individuals did not meet the legal threshold to be barred from returning.
The group, believed to consist of wives, widows, and children of IS fighters, includes 23 minors. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized that the government will not provide support for their return.
“You make your bed, you lie in it,” Albanese said, describing the group as having voluntarily aligned themselves with “a brutal, reactionary ideology that seeks to undermine and destroy our way of life.”
Legal experts have cautioned that Australian citizens generally have a right of return. Albanese responded by noting that his government will continue to operate within Australian law.
The group is currently in the al-Roj camp in northern Syria, which houses more than 2,000 people from over 40 nationalities, mostly women and children. Many have been held in such camps since 2019, following the defeat of IS in Syria.
Opposition politicians have expressed concern over the government’s selective approach. Liberal Party Senator Jonno Duniam questioned why only one member of the group was deemed a risk, suggesting amendments to laws to prevent more returns.
Hakmiyeh Ibrahim, director of the al-Roj camp, urged countries to repatriate their citizens, warning that children in the camps are increasingly exposed to “dangerous ideas and ideologies.”
