Return of IS-Linked Families to Australia
A group of 13 women and children with connections to Islamic State (IS) has started arriving back in Australia after spending several years in a Syrian detention facility.
The individuals had been residing in the al-Roj detention camp since 2019 and have been at the center of intense political debate in Australia. The government had previously stated it would not assist in their return.
Arrival Details and Family Composition
On Thursday afternoon, three women and eight children, believed to be from the same family, landed in Melbourne. Another woman and her child are expected to arrive in Sydney shortly thereafter.
Authorities will meet the families upon arrival, with police anticipating arrests.
The Melbourne group reportedly includes grandmother Kawsar Abbas, her adult daughters Zeinab and Zahra Ahmed, and their eight children.
Abbas is married to Mohammad Ahmad, who operated a charity that Australian police suspect was used to funnel money to IS. Ahmad denied these allegations during a 2019 interview with the national broadcaster ABC, which located him in a Syrian prison.
Arrival in Sydney and Background
The woman arriving in Sydney has been identified by local media as Janai Safar, accompanied by her 9-year-old son, who was born in Syria.
Safar is a former nursing student from Sydney who traveled to Syria in 2015 and reportedly married an IS fighter.
In a 2019 interview with The Australian newspaper, she stated that her decision to go to Syria was voluntary and expressed reluctance to return to Australia due to fears of arrest and losing custody of her child.
Cohort and Government Response
The group of 13 is part of a larger cohort of 34 individuals, believed to include wives, widows, and children of IS fighters. This larger group had left the camp in February but returned for "technical reasons," with the Australian government refusing to officially repatriate them.
Earlier this year, one member of this cohort was prohibited from returning to Australia through a "temporary exclusion order," barring their return for up to two years. This individual was not part of the group that arrived on Thursday.
Statements from the Returning Group
While boarding a connecting flight to Melbourne in Doha, the women spoke to a reporter from ABC, expressing excitement about returning home and describing Australia as "like paradise."
"We just want our children to be safe. It was like hell [in Syria] for them," one woman said.
Government and Official Reactions
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated that the government became aware of the women's return on Wednesday, when their tickets were booked.
"These are people who have made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation and to place their children in an unspeakable situation," Burke said. He added, "any members of this cohort who have committed crimes can expect to face the full force of the law."
Burke also mentioned that the government has been preparing for the group's return since 2014, with "long-standing plans" to manage and monitor them.
Mike Burgess, head of Australia's spy agency, commented that he was not "concerned immediately" by the group's return but noted, "they will get our attention as you'd expect."
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan stated that children returning to her state would be "asked to undertake countering violent extremism programs. That is appropriate."
