Islamic State brides head to Australia: Four women and their 13 kids are evacuated
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Brides of Islamic State head to Australia: Four women and their 13 children are evacuated from Syrian refugee camp for IS families – soon to land in Sydney
- Australia reversed policy and will allow families of Islamic State members to return
- Now 17 people, including four ISIS brides and 13 children, are on their way to Sydney
- Women and children were removed from al-Roj camp near Iraqi border in Syria
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Four ISIS brides and their 13 children are on their way back to Australia from a refugee camp for IS families in Syria.
The 17 evacuees will stay in Iraq for a short time before landing in Sydney – marking the first return since Anthony Albanese’s government overturned a ban on the repatriation of the relatives of ISIS soldiers.
The women and children were removed from the al-Roj camp near the Iraqi border in an operation involving Australian officials and the Syrian Democratic Forces.
They have been held in the camp in Syria’s northeastern region known as Rojava since March 2019 after the Islamic State’s last stand in the village of Baghouz.
The identities of the women have not been released.
The women and children were removed from the al-Roj camp near the Iraqi border in an operation involving Australian officials and the Syrian Democratic Forces. They are now on their way to Sydney
The evacuations come after the cabinet’s national security commission finalized plans to repatriate more than a dozen families undergoing “risk assessments” following a secret ASIO mission to Syria.
Australian intelligence agencies believe that leaving Australians in squalid camps could pose a greater threat to national security than bringing them back, as their plight could be used to recruit more Australian Muslims to join terror organizations.
It is clear that all those brought home will be subject to intense surveillance by security forces and some will be charged with terrorism, as it was illegal for many at the time to travel to Syria and Iraq.
“The Australian Government’s top priority is the protection of Australians and Australian national security advice,” a spokesman for Home Secretary Clare O’Neil said earlier this month.
“Given the sensitive nature of the cases involved, it would not be appropriate to comment further.”