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A partisan fight has erupted over plans for another cohort of wives and children of Islamic State fighters to return to Australia after being stranded in Syria, with the opposition demanding more transparency from the Albanese government.
The government insists it is not organising a rescue mission to bring home the 40 estimated remaining Australians in north-east Syria, but extensive government support and preparation would be needed to enable their return.
The Australian reported on Tuesday that more than a dozen women, children and young men are set to be evacuated from Al Roj camp in Syria and brought to NSW and Victoria before Christmas in a secret operation.
Dozens of Australians, who are relatives of former Islamic State fighters, are stranded at al-Roj refugee camp in northern Syria.Credit: Save the Children
The women went to Syria and Iraq during the rule of Islamic State and were imprisoned in detention camps in Syria in 2019.
The government faced considerable backlash in western Sydney when it organised the repatriation of 13 children along with their four mothers in October 2022, and shelved any plans for subsequent missions until after the May federal election.
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Mat Tinkler, chief executive of Save the Children Australia, a charity which has advocated for the return of all Australians from camps in Syria, said: “Reports of purported plans for the repatriation of innocent Australian children and their mothers offers a sliver of hope to a group who have been trapped in camps in north-east Syria for over six years.
“But unless and until such a plan is enacted, this will be nothing more than another cruel blow.
“These camps are one of the worst places in the world to be a child, and we hold grave concerns for the lives, health, and safety of these innocent Australian children.”
In 2023, Save The Children took unsuccessful court action against the home affairs minister, arguing the Australian detainees were being illegally imprisoned.
A spokesman for Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said: “The Australian government is aware of media reporting about a cohort including Australian citizens seeking to return from Syria.
“The Australian government is not providing assistance to this cohort.
“Our ability to provide consular assistance to Australians in Syria is extremely limited due to the dangerous security situation.”
A source familiar with the situation at Al Roj camp said they did not expect Australians to return “any time soon”.
“It’s still a matter of if, not when,” the source said.
“You can’t do this without government support. They need to issue passports, give security clearance and brief state and territory governments about what to expect.”
Opposition home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie said the women had “betrayed” their country and that most Australians would say “good riddance” to them.
“I just don’t think Australians want people who’ve betrayed their country and potentially pose a security risk coming back,” Hastie said.
“They threw their lot in with Islamic State. There are consequences to that, and it’s as simple as that.
“The government needs to come clean and tell the Australian people exactly what’s happening here because I don’t think you should just be welcomed back to this country after betraying it, and moreover, if you pose a risk to community safety.
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Advocates have said many of the women were coerced into travelling to Syria, have no affinity for Islamic State and pose no risk to the Australian community.
2GB host Ben Fordham reported on Wednesday that he approached Burke’s office with questions last Thursday after receiving a tip-off about an “imminent” plan for another cohort of Australian women and children to return from Syria.
NSW Police have been preparing for an arrival at Sydney airport, Fordham reported.
Kamalle Dabboussy, whose daughter and grandchildren were brought back to Australia in October 2022, told this masthead last year that the women and children remaining in the Syrian camp were terrified.
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