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.
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Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 4th of September, covering the latest developments.
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A Chinese national was pulled alive from a tunnel in Nepal on Saturday, authorities said, 10 days after a wall of ice, rock and mud tore through a Himalayan valley, killing more than 1,300 people and leaving more than 5,600 missing.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Spanish authorities are preparing a new site in Ceuta to accommodate hundreds of migrants who remain on the streets following large-scale arrivals in July, local media reported Saturday.
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The resolution, sponsored by African countries and led by Togo, passed by 164 votes to one, with six abstentions. The United States was the only country to vote against it.
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