The Australian government said that a group of 7 women and 12 children linked to gunmen belonging to the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) organization, called the "IS brides" group, is on their way back home after many years living in Syria under the control of Kurdish forces.
According to Australian Home Minister Tony Burke, this group left Roj Camp in Syria last week. This is a camp managed by Syrian Kurdish forces, where many women and children linked to IS have been detained since the extremist organization collapsed in the Middle East.
Mr. Burke emphasized that the Australian government will not provide special support for the returning group of citizens this time. Authorities also warned that any individual who has committed a crime may face strict prosecution under Australian law.
Any member of this group who has ever committed a crime may face the full power of the law," Mr. Burke declared.
The Australian Interior Minister said that these people made a "horrific choice" when joining a dangerous terrorist organization and pushing their children into extremely harsh circumstances.
According to ABC Australia, some people in the group will go to Melbourne, while the rest will move to Sydney after entry.
Information about the new return was announced just days after Australia received 13 other citizens linked to IS, including 4 women and 9 children, returning from Syria.
In the previous repatriation group, 2 women including mother and daughter were arrested immediately after arriving in Melbourne. Police accused them of detaining a female slave after arriving in Syria in 2014 to support the IS organization.
These 2 people were arrested by Kurdish forces in 2019 before being brought back to Australia.
Another woman in the previous repatriation group was also arrested in Sydney and prosecuted on charges related to entering restricted areas as well as participating in terrorist organizations.
The repatriation of women and children linked to IS has long been a controversial topic in many Western countries. In the early 2010s, when IS emerged strongly in Iraq and Syria, hundreds of women from Western countries came to the Middle East, many followed their husbands or spouses to join this force.
