Australia bars citizen from returning from Syria camp
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Australia barred one of its citizens from returning from Roj Camp in northeastern Syria over security concerns linked to the Islamic State (ISIS), Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Tuesday.
The individual had been residing in Roj Camp, located in the countryside of Derik (al-Malikiyah) in Syria’s far northeast.
Burke stated that the exclusion decision was temporary and based on advice from national security agencies. “The exclusion of the citizen is temporary and follows security advice,” he said.
He added that security authorities have not yet advised that other Australians currently in Syria meet the legal threshold required for issuing Temporary Exclusion Orders (TEOs).
On Tuesday, Australia also announced it would not assist any Australians residing in Syrian camps holding families of ISIS members to return home.
In the same context, a Kurdish official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that families of Australian ISIS members who were released from the camp on Feb. 16 were unable to reach Damascus as part of their return process.
“The released individuals were returned to Roj Camp due to poor coordination with the Syrian authorities,” the official said.
Roj Camp, administered by Kurdish Autonomous Administration in northeast Syria, houses foreign women and children linked to ISIS fighters.
The issue of repatriating foreign nationals from such camps remains a contentious and politically sensitive matter for many governments.