Four Australian women, nine children set to return from Roj Camp; arrests likely

What happened

Australian authorities were alerted that four women and nine children held at Roj Camp in northeastern Syria have booked flights from Damascus to Australia. The Australian Federal Police and national investigators say some of the returning women will be arrested on arrival and face criminal investigations into alleged ties to the Islamic State, including potential terrorism offences and crimes against humanity such as slave‑trading. Officials said children will be placed in counter‑extremism programs. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke emphasized the government provided travel documents but is not assisting repatriation and has limited power to prevent citizens returning.

Background and context

The women left Roj Camp last week; Syrian authorities had earlier said Australia had refused to receive them. A prior attempt in February to repatriate 34 women and children from the same camp was blocked, and one woman was barred from return under a temporary exclusion order that can prevent high‑risk citizens from returning for up to two years. The report notes laws criminalizing travel to IS strongholds in 2014–2017 and the wider post‑2019 situation in northeast Syria, where defeated IS fighters, their families and other detainees remain in camps or have been transferred to Iraq amid ongoing instability. Australia has repatriated some women and children previously, while others have returned without government assistance as the region remains volatile, as reported by AP News

This story has also been reported by: NPR, The Guardian, The Independent, ABC News