Australia refuses to help repatriate its citizens in Syria camp

SYDNEY – Australia refused to help repatriate citizens related to suspected Islamic State jihadists on April 25, following a report that some Australian families are trying to return home from a camp in Syria.

National broadcaster ABC said four Australian women and nine of their children and grandchildren had left the Roj camp in north-eastern Syria on April 24, citing the camp director.

Syrian forces were taking them to Damascus to help them fly back to Australia, it said.

“The Australian government is not and will not repatriate people from Syria,” a government spokesperson said in a statement to AFP.

“Our security agencies have been monitoring – and continue to monitor – the situation in Syria to ensure they are prepared for any Australians seeking to return to Australia,” the spokesperson added.

“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 government’s “overriding priority” was the safety of Australians and the protection of Australia’s national interests, the spokesperson said.

The group is among 34 Australians at the camp who failed in an attempt to return home in February, reportedly due to a coordination problem with the Syrian government.

At the time, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would not provide them with any support, declaring: “You make your bed, you lie in it.”

The repatriation of the families of Islamic State members is controversial in Australia, with some politicians warning they pose a threat to national security.

The humanitarian organisation Save the Children Australia filed a lawsuit in 2023 on behalf of 11 women and 20 children at the Roj camp, seeking their repatriation.

But the Australian Federal Court ruled against Save the Children, saying the Australian government did not control their detention in Syria. AFP