Australia repatriates women and children linked to ISIS from Syrian camp

Australia said a group of seven women and 12 children linked to Islamic State has returned from Syria after years in detention camps controlled by Kurdish forces. Tony Burke said the Australian citizens left the Roj camp in northeastern Syria last week and would be transferred to Melbourne and Sydney. Burke said the government would not provide support to the group, often referred to as “ISIS brides,” and warned that anyone found to have committed crimes would face the full force of Australian law. Australian authorities described the decision by the women to join ISIS and expose children to dangerous conditions as “terrible choices.” The return follows another recent repatriation operation earlier this month involving 13 Australians linked to ISIS, including four women and nine children. Authorities said two women were arrested in Melbourne on allegations related to keeping a Yazidi woman as a slave after traveling to Syria in 2014, while another woman was detained in Sydney on terrorism-related charges. Hundreds of women from Western countries traveled to Syria and Iraq during the rise of ISIS in the early 2010s, often joining militant fighters or living in areas once controlled by the extremist group. Western governments have faced growing legal and security challenges over whether to repatriate citizens detained in Syrian camps after the collapse of ISIS, balancing national security concerns with humanitarian and human rights obligations. The post Australia repatriates women and children linked to ISIS from Syrian camp appeared first on Khaama Press.