ISIS-linked Australian families, children forced to return to Rojava camp

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A group of 11 Australian families with links to the Islamic State (ISIS) have been forced to return to a refugee camp in northeastern Syria (Rojava) after being denied entry into Damascus en route to Lebanon, where they had planned to continue their journey home.

The families, totaling 24 individuals, had left the Roj camp in Rojava but are now heading back, despite having been issued Australian passports, sources inside the camp confirmed to Rudaw.

It remains unclear why the Syrian authorities in Damascus turned the families away. The Australian government, meanwhile, reiterated its position, stating it “is not and will not repatriate people from Syria.”

“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 government statement said.

The statement 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 safety of Australians and the protection of Australia's national interests remain the overriding priority.”

The Syrian transitional government has not issued a comment on the matter.

For the first time in 2022, four Australian women and 13 children were released from the Roj camp and returned home. As of last year, more than 30 Australians remained in the camp seeking to return home.

More than 2,000 women and children affiliated with ISIS continue to reside at the Roj camp, which is run by Kurdish authorities, amid growing uncertainty over their future and prospects for repatriation.

Located in Hasaka province, Roj camp is the last detention facility under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Nearby al-Hol camp came under Syrian state control last month after the SDF, facing pressure from Damascus, withdrew from parts of the province.

Many residents of Roj camp say they wish to return to their home countries, but Kurdish officials say no formal arrangements have been made.

The fate of ISIS-affiliated families in northeastern Syria has remained unresolved for years, as many countries have been reluctant to repatriate their nationals due to legal, security, and political concerns.