A second group of Australian women and children linked to the Islamic State group has departed a refugee camp in north-east Syria and may return to Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday.
ABC said a bus carrying the group left the Al-Roj camp on Thursday afternoon under escort from a convoy of Syrian government officials.
The group is expected to reach Damascus, although the broadcaster said it remains unclear when they may travel onwards to Australia.
Australia’s Home Affairs Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
The Australian government has previously ruled out providing direct assistance for the return of Australian families linked to ISIS, while acknowledging “very serious limits” on preventing citizens from re-entering the country.
The report follows the return earlier this month of four women and nine children linked to ISIS after seven years in detention camps.
After arriving in Australia, Kawsar Ahmad, 54, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, were charged with slavery offences, while Janai Safar, 32, faced terror-related charges.
The earlier return drew criticism from opponents who accused Australia’s centre-left government of failing to prevent the repatriations.
Between 2012 and 2016, some Australian women travelled to Syria to join husbands who were allegedly members of ISIS. After the collapse of the group’s caliphate in 2019, many were held in camps, while others returned home.
In January, the U.S. began moving detained members of the Islamic State group out of Syria after the collapse of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which had guarded detention facilities holding fighters and affiliated civilians, including foreigners.
A Russian guided aerial bomb has struck an apartment building in Kharkiv, injuring 22 people, including children, according to the city’...
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has arrived in Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on bilateral ties and ...
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 28 September 2026. These are the top stories making headlines in technology. ...
Leaders from around the world are gathering in New York for the latest session of the United Nations General Assembly, with conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, global security, trade, artificial intelligence, climate change and economic development dominating the agenda.
Iran has called for a diplomatic solution after U.S. President Donald Trump rejected its Hormuz proposal, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was awaiting a definitive U.S. response through mediators.
A Russian guided aerial bomb has struck an apartment building in Kharkiv, injuring 22 people, including children, according to the city’s mayor. The strike follows a day of near-continuous Russian attacks across Ukraine that killed at least five people.
British police have arrested five men on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act after a major security incident was declared near RAF Fairford, a British air base used by U.S. air forces in Gloucestershire, England.
Six people have died after a two-storey residential building in a tourist area of central Athens collapsed, the Greek fire brigade said on Saturday (26 September), following an explosion that the mayor said was likely linked to gas infrastructure.
A Russian guided aerial bomb has struck an apartment building in Kharkiv, injuring 22 people, including children, according to the city’s mayor. The strike follows a day of near-continuous Russian attacks across Ukraine that killed at least five people.
France’s far-right National Rally (RN) and its ally, the Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR), have won enough seats to form a group in the Senate for the first time, marking a breakthrough for the party ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Pope Leo has renewed his pledge to tackle abuse within the Catholic Church after privately meeting survivors of clergy abuse during his visit to France.
Swiss voters have overwhelmingly rejected stricter neutrality rules that would have limited the country’s ability to impose sanctions and cooperate with NATO, with more than 70 per cent voting against the proposal.
Pope Leo XIV joined an estimated 150,000 pilgrims for a traditional candlelight procession at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France on Sunday (27 September), during the final evening of his visit to the Catholic pilgrimage site.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment