IS-Linked Women and Children Book Return to Australia

A group of women and children linked to the militant group Islamic State has booked commercial flights to return to Australia, according to the government, which says some members of the group could face arrest upon arrival.

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Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government had not assisted the four women and nine children who spent years in a detention camp in northern Syria. The group is part of a larger cohort of 34 people believed to include the wives, widows and children of former IS fighters.

Authorities confirmed that when the group arrives in Australia, some individuals may be detained and charged. Krissy Barrett, commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, said investigators had been preparing for such a return and that law enforcement agencies were ready to act if evidence supported criminal charges.

Government Says No Assistance Provided

Burke told reporters the government had neither arranged nor funded the group’s return.

“These are people who have made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation and to place their children in an unspeakable situation,” he said. He added that anyone in the group found to have committed crimes could expect to face prosecution.

Authorities only learned of the group’s planned return shortly after airline bookings were made.

“The alert is received the moment the booking takes place, so that was provided to us this morning,” Burke said.

The minister also noted that Australian law places strict limits on the government’s ability to prevent its citizens from returning home.

Officials said contingency planning for the possible return of such individuals has been in place for years, with arrangements to monitor and manage them once back in Australia.

Possible Arrests and Investigations

Barrett said investigators had spent more than a decade gathering evidence on potential crimes committed by members of the group. These investigations include suspected terrorism offences and alleged crimes against humanity, such as involvement in slave trading.

She did not specify how many of the 13 people expected to return would be arrested but confirmed that those not detained would still remain under investigation.

Children arriving in Australia will receive support through community integration programmes, therapeutic services and initiatives aimed at countering violent extremism.

Security Agencies Monitoring Situation

Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, said security agencies were prepared to monitor the group but were not immediately alarmed by their return.

“They will get our attention as you’d expect,” Burgess said, adding that authorities would intervene if individuals displayed behaviour that raised security concerns.

Background: Camp in Northern Syria

The broader group of 34 individuals — including 23 children — had been living in the al-Roj camp since 2019, when IS lost its last territorial stronghold in Syria.

Earlier this year, Australia prevented one member of the cohort from returning for up to two years using a temporary exclusion order.

Several other countries have also been reluctant to bring back citizens held in camps in Syria following the collapse of IS territory. Governments including France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom have declined to repatriate most of their nationals detained there.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 7 May 2026