Australian ISIS-linked families return home from Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A group of Australian women and children linked to Islamic State (ISIS) militants is scheduled to arrive home on Thursday.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), at least three women and five children traveled from Damascus to Doha before boarding a flight to Melbourne, while another woman and her child reportedly took a separate flight to Sydney.
The women told ABC they were eager to return to Australia after years in Syria, adding that most of their children, who were born during the conflict, had never visited Australia before.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said some returnees could face arrest and prosecution upon arrival, including charges related to terrorism offences and crimes against humanity.
The group had remained in Damascus for nearly two weeks awaiting final approval for their departure.
A Syrian government official told ABC that the Australian government was the “deciding factor” in the delay, saying Damascus had waited for Canberra to complete procedures necessary to receive the women and children.
The repatriated group includes 54-year-old grandmother Kawsar Abbas, her daughters Zahra Ahmad, 33, and Zeinab Ahmad, 31, in addition to Janai Safar, 32, a former health science student.
According to previous reports, the Australian government had repatriated several citizens from camps in northeastern Syria in recent years, including women and children held in Roj camp, which is administered by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).