Australia says women linked to IS returning from Syria will face the full force of the law

SYDNEY, May 26 — A group of seven women and 12 children believed to be linked to Islamic State fighters are returning to Australia after spending years in Syria, the Australian interior minister said Tuesday.

The so-called “IS brides” are Australian citizens who recently left the Roj camp, which is controlled by Syrian Kurdish forces, last week.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government would not provide assistance to the group.

“Any members of this cohort who have committed crimes can expect to face the full force of the law,” he said.

He added, “These are people who made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation and place their children in an unspeakable situation.”

According to Australia’s national broadcaster ABC, some members will arrive in Melbourne while others will travel to Sydney.

Earlier this month, 13 other Australians linked to IS — four women and nine children — were also repatriated from Syria.

Two of the women, a mother and daughter, were arrested upon arrival in Melbourne, with police alleging they had kept a female slave after travelling to Syria in 2014 to support the Islamic State group. They were detained by Kurdish forces in 2019.

A third woman was also arrested on arrival in Sydney and charged with entering a restricted zone and joining a terrorist organisation.

Hundreds of women from Western countries were drawn to the Middle East during the rise of IS in the early 2010s, often accompanying husbands who joined jihadist fighters. — AFP