Australia Refuses Repatriation of 34 Australian IS Family Members in Syria
The Australian government has refused to assist in the repatriation of 34 family members of Australian nationals affiliated with the extremist armed group Islamic State (IS), who are being held in a Syrian refugee camp.
On the 17th (local time), Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in an interview with Australian public broadcaster ABC, "I have a firm view that we will not support or repatriate (the 34 Australian family members)." Prime Minister Albanese added, "You reap what you sow," and dismissed the issue by saying, "To be honest, I feel no sympathy at all for people who went overseas to take part in attempts to establish an Islamic State that undermines and destroys our way of life."
He also stressed, "If anyone somehow returns to Australia and is found to have violated the law, they will face the full force of the law." In Australia, joining IS, which is designated as a terrorist organization, is punishable by up to 25 years in prison, and dual nationals may also be stripped of their Australian citizenship.
Previously, it was reported that 11 wives of IS members who were killed or captured, and 23 children, have been living in refugee camps for more than six years since IS was defeated in Syria in 2019. They initially left the Al Roj refugee camp in northeastern Syria and traveled to the Syrian capital Damascus, planning to fly from there to Australia, but then returned to the camp. AFP reported that the Syrian authorities sent them back to the refugee camp due to procedural issues.
In 2022, Australia repatriated 17 of its citizens from the Al Roj refugee camp, including 4 IS spouses and 13 children who were deemed to be in the most vulnerable condition. In addition, last October, six women and children managed to return to Australia from Syria via Lebanon without assistance from the Australian government. Some of them claimed that they had been abducted to Syria and were forced to marry IS fighters.
However, public opposition to the return of IS families has grown after it emerged that the terrorists responsible for the shooting that killed 15 people at a Jewish festival on Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach in December last year had been influenced by IS.
Regarding the attempt by the 34 people to return, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said he is seeking advice on whether the case meets the criteria for a Temporary Exclusion Order (TEO), adding, "We will always act on the advice of law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies."
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council has estimated that, as of 2014, more than 30,000 foreign fighters headed to the Middle East to join extremist armed groups such as IS and Al-Qaeda.
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