Four Australian women with alleged ties to Islamic State and nine children have booked flights from Damascus to Australia, the country's Home Affairs Minister said Wednesday, and police confirmed that some of the women will be arrested on arrival.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said investigations into the group have been underway since 2015 and span potential offenses including terrorism and crimes against humanity such as slave trading. "Some individuals will be arrested and charged. Some will face continued investigations when they arrive in Australia," she told reporters.
The women had been held at Roj Camp near Syria's border with Iraq. They left the camp last week, but the Syrian government told the Associated Press that Australia had "refused to receive them." Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said there was little the government could legally do to prevent citizens from returning. "There are very serious limits on what can be done with respect to preventing a citizen of a country returning to their country," he said.
Burke was blunt about the government's position. "The individuals concerned traveled in support of one of the most horrific terrorist organizations we've seen in recent history or in our lifetimes," he said. "The government's complete lack of support for these individuals is a direct reflection of the decisions that they made."
Children in the group will be placed in programs to counter violent extremism. Australia has ruled out separating children from their mothers, and exclusion orders — which can bar high-risk citizens from returning for up to two years — cannot legally be applied to children under 14.
A previous attempt to bring 34 women and children home in February was turned back by Syrian authorities. On that occasion, Australia issued a temporary exclusion order against one unnamed woman, the first time such an order had been publicly reported. Burke confirmed that order remains in effect. Under Australian law, traveling to the former Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
