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.
Georgia and Uzbekistan are aiming to nearly quadruple annual trade to $1 billion, up from $267.6 million in 2025, as the two countries seek to stre...
Iran has warned against the military use of Starlink, saying it has developed domestic technology capable of countering cyber threats linked to the...
Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of blaming Kabul for its domestic political and security problems, as Islamabad repeated claims that militants are...
One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a fresh attack on Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
An explosion and fire have been reported at a major underground gas pipeline in Russia’s Penza region on 13 October, according to UA News, as cited by Azerbaijan’s APA news agency. The reports have not been independently verified.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined high school students protesting outside a school in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis on Tuesday, as a wave of student demonstrations continues across France.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a newly opened defence museum displaying weapons developed under his leadership, including an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.
Southeast Asian foreign ministers are set to discuss measures to tackle transboundary haze during preparatory meetings ahead of the ASEAN summit in November, as forest and land fires in Indonesia continue to affect air quality across the region, the Philippines said on Tuesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment