The group, comprising seven women and 12 children, was scheduled to arrive in Sydney and Melbourne on Tuesday, according to Australian officials. Their return follows the repatriation earlier this month of another group of 13 Australians from the same region, some of whom were subsequently charged with terrorism-related offenses.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said law enforcement and intelligence agencies had spent years preparing for such returns and would closely monitor those arriving.

“Anyone who has committed crimes can expect to face the full force of the law,” Burke said in a statement, emphasizing that community safety remained the government’s primary concern.

The minister added that the government had not provided assistance for the latest group’s travel arrangements, describing the individuals as people who had chosen to associate with a terrorist organization and place their children in dangerous circumstances.

The returnees were being held in Roj Camp, a detention facility in northeastern Syria near the Iraqi border that has housed women and children associated with Daesh since the group’s territorial defeat in 2019.

Following the departure of the latest group, at least two Australian nationals are expected to remain at the camp. One woman subject to a temporary exclusion order, a legal mechanism designed to delay the return of high-risk citizens for up to two years, was not among those traveling back to Australia.

The repatriations highlight the continuing challenge facing governments around the world as they deal with citizens who traveled to territories once controlled by Daesh. Australia introduced temporary exclusion orders in 2019 as part of broader legislation aimed at managing the return of suspected foreign fighters and their families.

Authorities have already demonstrated a willingness to pursue legal action against returnees. Three of the four women repatriated earlier this month were charged with slavery and terrorism-related offenses and remain in custody pending legal proceedings.
Among those charged were Kawsar Ahmed, also known as Kawsar Abbas, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmed, who were arrested upon arrival in Melbourne over allegations connected to the purchase of a Yazidi woman held as a slave during Daesh’s rule.

Another returnee, Janai Safar, was detained in Sydney and charged with membership in a terrorist organization as well as entering or remaining in territory controlled by a terrorist group.
Australian governments have conducted several organized repatriation efforts since the collapse of Daesh’s self-declared caliphate, while other citizens have returned independently without official assistance.

The latest operation reflects Canberra’s continuing policy of bringing back women and children from Syrian detention camps while relying on criminal investigations, intelligence monitoring and court proceedings to address potential security risks posed by returning adults.

According to the official, 21 Australians seven women and 14 children aged between eight and 14 departed Roj Camp on Thursday. They were transferred to Syrian authorities and taken to the capital, Damascus, for arrangements related to their return to Australia.
“There are no more Australians remaining in Roj,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The camp, administered by Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria, has housed relatives of suspected foreign militants for years following the collapse of the self-declared caliphate established by Daesh.

The latest transfer follows the repatriation earlier this month of 13 Australians, including four women and nine children. Upon arrival in Australia, three of the women were arrested.

Australian authorities charged two women a mother and daughter with slavery-related offenses and crimes against humanity, alleging they kept a female slave after traveling to Syria in 2014 to support Daesh. Both had been detained by Kurdish forces since 2019.

A third woman was charged with entering a restricted area and joining a terrorist organization, while a fourth woman returned without being arrested.

Hundreds of women from Western countries traveled to Syria and Iraq during the rise of Daesh in the early 2010s, often accompanying family members who joined the militant group. Australia subsequently criminalized travel to areas under Daesh control, including parts of Syria.

Canberra has conducted several repatriation operations since 2019, gradually bringing home women and children from camps in northeastern Syria while assessing potential security and legal risks.
Daesh, which once controlled large territories across Syria and Iraq, was territorially defeated in 2019 following a military campaign led by Kurdish-backed forces with support from a US-led coalition.

Syria’s current authorities, who assumed power in 2024, have joined international efforts against Daesh and expanded government control into areas previously administered by Kurdish-led forces. However, Roj camp remains under Kurdish administration.

The departure of the final Australian nationals from Roj closes a chapter in one of Australia’s most complex repatriation efforts arising from the aftermath of the Syrian conflict and the defeat of Daesh.

National broadcaster ABC reported that four Australian women and nine of their children and grandchildren departed Roj Camp on Friday, citing the camp’s director, with Syrian authorities transporting them to Damascus to facilitate onward travel to Australia.

The Australian government said it was not involved in the operation and maintained its long-standing policy against actively repatriating individuals from such camps.“The Australian Government is not and will not repatriate people from Syria,” a government spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson added that intelligence and security agencies were continuing to monitor developments closely and were prepared for any Australians who attempted to return independently.

“People in this cohort need to know that if they have committed a crime and if they return to Australia they will be met with the full force of the law,” the statement said.Canberra said its “overriding priority” remained the safety of Australians and the protection of national interests, reflecting ongoing political sensitivity surrounding the possible return of families linked to members of the extremist group Daesh.

Roj Camp, located in northeastern Syria, houses women and children associated with suspected Daesh fighters following the collapse of the group’s territorial control in Iraq and Syria.

The families reported this week are believed to be part of a group of 34 Australians who were unable to leave the camp during a failed repatriation attempt in February, reportedly due to coordination issues involving Syrian authorities.

At the time, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would not provide assistance, using the phrase: “You make your bed, you lie in it,” to describe Canberra’s position.The return of Daesh-linked families has remained highly divisive in Australia, with some lawmakers and security officials warning that repatriation could create long-term domestic security risks.

Humanitarian organizations, however, have argued that women and especially children trapped in the camps face deteriorating living conditions, legal limbo, and prolonged statelessness.In 2023, Save the Children Australia filed legal action on behalf of 11 women and 20 children in Roj Camp, seeking government intervention to secure their return.

Australia’s Federal Court ruled against the group, finding that the government did not exercise legal control over the detainees’ confinement in Syria and therefore was not obligated to repatriate them.

Australia has previously repatriated some women and children from Syrian detention camps under earlier operations, but officials have remained cautious, balancing humanitarian concerns against domestic political and security pressures.

The latest developments suggest that any return of Australian citizens from Roj Camp will likely proceed without direct government facilitation, under close scrutiny from law enforcement and intelligence agencies upon arrival.