Australia says it’s ready to handle return of Isis-linked families from Syria

Australian police were ready to arrest members of a group of 13 people linked to Isis fighters who were returning home from Syria, the home affairs minister announced on Wednesday.

Some of the individuals had committed crimes and would face the law, Tony Burke claimed.

They are returning from Al Roj, a detention camp in northeast Syria. Australia’s government got an alert on Wednesday morning when the group’s travel booking from Damascus to Melbourne and Sydney was made.

Police said they had evidence that the Australians had committed crimes under national law, including travelling to a prohibited area and engaging in slave trade.

Australian police have been investigating citizens who travelled to Islamic State’s so-called caliphate in Syria since 2015.

The returning group, including four women and nine children, had travelled to Syria “in support of one of the most horrific terrorist organisations in recent history or in our lifetimes”, Mr Burke said. “The government is not assisting and will not assist these individuals. They made an appalling, disgraceful decision. If any of these individuals find their way back to Australia, if they’ve committed crimes they can expect to face the full force of the law, without exception.”

Anthony Albanese also condemned the returnees. “These are people who have made what is a horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation and place their children in an extraordinary situation,” the prime minister said.

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Australian Federal Police commissioner Krissy Barrett said some members of the group would be arrested and charged but didn’t disclose when that might happen. The others would remain under investigation, she said.

She added that the children from the returning cohort will also be handled under the law, which will include undergoing community integration programmes, therapeutic support and countering violent extremism programmes.

The Australian government faced a similar situation in February this year when a group of 34 women and children tried to leave Al Roj and return home, only to be turned back by Syrian authorities.

Syria holds many former Isis fighters, along with their wives and children, in a network of camps and detention centres in the northeast.

The militant group, which drew members from a number of countries, lost control of its territory in Syria in 2019. It, however, continues to carry out attacks in Syria and Iraq.

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The 13-member group, including members of the so-called Isis bride cohort, all Australian citizens, are expected to land on Thursday evening, ABC News reported.

They left the Al Roj camp in late April but it wasn’t clear how they planned the return to Australia.

The Australian government denied organising a repatriation mission and helping them with travel documents.

“There is a reason why the government has drawn a very hard line saying we will do nothing to assist. The government’s complete lack of support for these individuals is a direct reflection of the decisions that they made,” Mr Burke said.

He acknowledged that Australia faced a serious challenge in preventing their return. “There are very serious limits on what can be done with respect to preventing a citizen of a country returning to their country,” Mr Burke said.

A new set of laws introduced in 2019 bars former Isis fighters from returning home.

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