The Australian government announced it will not assist Australian families currently held in camps for families of Islamic State fighters in Syria to return to Australia.
In a statement carried by the Australian News Agency on Monday, February 16, the government said that Australia’s security agencies are monitoring the situation in Syria to ensure preparedness for any Australians who seek to return to the country.
The statement added that Australian families in these camps “should be aware that if they have committed a crime and return to Australia, they will face the full force of the law.”
The Australian government stressed that “the safety of Australian citizens and the protection of Australia’s national interests remain our highest priority.”
According to Reuters, citing two unnamed sources, 34 Australians who had previously been released from a camp holding families of individuals suspected of affiliation with the Islamic State group in northern Syria returned to the camp for “technical reasons.”
The two sources said the Australian families returned to al-Roj camp, located in the countryside of al-Malikiyah (northeastern Syria), shortly after leaving it due to “technical issues” between the families and the government in Damascus.
They added that the families would later return to Damascus. A Syrian official told Reuters that “the matter is entirely procedural and will be resolved quickly.”
Australian families leave al-Roj
Earlier on Monday, February 16, the administration of al-Roj camp in the countryside of al-Malikiyah announced that 11 Australian families linked to the Islamic State group would leave the camp.
The camp administration said the families, comprising 34 individuals, would head to Damascus, where they would be received by their relatives before continuing on to Australia.
No official comment was issued by the camp administration regarding coordination with the Syrian government or the International Coalition concerning the repatriation of these families. The administration stated there was no direct coordination with it in this regard, noting that the families would depart for Damascus and then travel onward to Australia.
Al-Roj camp in the countryside of al-Malikiyah hosts 710 families, totaling 2,201 individuals, affiliated with the Islamic State group from 40 nationalities, according to the camp administration. It is considered one of the main centers housing foreign families linked to the group in northeastern Syria.
The announcement of Australian families leaving al-Roj comes as the file of camps in northeastern Syria is undergoing rapid changes, both in terms of the authority overseeing their administration and the approach adopted in dealing with resident families.
Over the past years, international efforts to repatriate foreign families to their countries of origin have faced political and legal challenges. While some countries have expressed reservations about receiving their nationals, others have carried out limited repatriation operations, particularly involving women and children.
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