Stranded in Syria: The Australian IS Families Caught Between a Camp and a Hard Place

A group of Australian women and children linked to the Islamic State (IS) group have made repeated attempts to leave the Al-Roj detention camp in north-eastern Syria to return to Australia. The Australian government has stated it will not facilitate their repatriation, though some individuals have secured travel documents. The situation involves a complex interplay of Australian citizenship law, national security assessments, Syrian political dynamics, and international pressure.

The Cohort and Their Status

The group consists of Australian citizens who were detained following the territorial defeat of the Islamic State caliphate in March 2019. They are housed in the Al-Roj camp, which is controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Composition of the Group

• Total Cohort: As of the most recent reports, the group totals between 21 and 34 individuals, comprising women and children.
• Initial Group: An initial attempt at repatriation in February 2025 involved 11 women and 23 children (34 Australians total).
• Subsequent Group: In late April 2025, a sub-group of four women and nine children from the same extended family departed the camp to travel to Damascus. This group includes three generations and is reportedly from the same family.
• Remaining in Camp: Following the departure of the smaller group, seven women and 14 children remain in the Al-Roj camp.

Key Fact: The cohort is now split—13 individuals are in Damascus with an uncertain legal status, while 21 remain in the squalid conditions of Al-Roj camp.

Identified Members

The following individuals have been publicly identified as part of the cohort seeking to return, based on reports from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and other news outlets:

• Kawsar Abbas (54): From Melbourne, wife of Mohammed Ahmad, who ran a charity suspected by the Australian Federal Police of funneling funds to IS. The family reportedly traveled to Syria in 2014 for a wedding and became trapped. Mr. Ahmad is reportedly imprisoned in Syria.
• Zahra Ahmed (33): Eldest daughter of Kawsar Abbas and Mohammed Ahmad. She is a widow of IS recruiter Muhammad Zahab, who died in an airstrike in 2018.
• Zeinab Ahmed (31): Second-eldest daughter of Kawsar Abbas and Mohammed Ahmad. She has pleaded for repatriation, citing unsafe conditions for children. Australian officials interviewed her and conducted DNA tests in 2022.
• Janai Safar (32): Traveled to IS-occupied Syria in 2015. She had a child in 2016 and was married to an IS fighter who died in 2017.
• Kirsty Rosse-Emile: Born in Australia in 1994. Her sister, Krystle Rosse-Emile, stated Kirsty was married at age 14 to Nabil Kadmiry, a man approximately 20 years her senior who later became an IS fighter. Kadmiry had his Australian citizenship revoked. Krystle stated her sister was "groomed."
• Nesrine Zahab: In her early 30s. She has stated she believed she was traveling to Turkey for aid delivery and only realized she was in Syria upon seeing an IS flag. She later married Australian-born IS fighter Ahmed Merhi.
• Sumaya Zahab: In her early 30s. Sister of Muhammad Zahab, a former Sydney maths teacher and IS member who died in an airstrike in 2018.
• Aminah Zahab: Approximately 50 years old. Mother of Muhammad and Sumaya Zahab, and aunt of Nesrine Zahab. She followed her son to Syria.
• Hodan Abby: Reportedly left western Sydney for Syria in 2015 as a teenager. Her father appealed for government intervention in 2021.
• Kawsar Kanj and Hyam Raad: Listed among the group, with little public information.
• Yusuf Zahab: A 23-year-old male taken to Syria at age 12. He was initially held in a Syrian men's prison and is now believed to be in Iraq after a transfer of IS-related prisoners by US forces.

Conditions and Context

The women and children have been detained in camps since 2019. Some children were born in the camps or taken there at a young age. Some women report being coerced, deceived, or forced to follow male family members who joined IS.

The Al-Roj camp director, Hakmiyeh Ibrahim, has described the Australian women as "well-behaved" and not causing problems relative to other nationalities. She has urged foreign governments to repatriate their citizens.

Human Rights Watch Warning: Deteriorating conditions in the camp include night raids by Kurdish guards, lack of adequate food, water, and medical care, and the risk of radicalization for children. The camp has experienced outbreaks of dysentery and influenza and is described as a target for IS incursions.

The camp's long-term status is uncertain. It is expected to be transferred to Syrian government control and potentially closed. A nearby camp, Al-Hawl, was taken over by Syrian government forces in January 2025, resulting in a reported mass exodus of its residents, raising concerns about the potential fate of Al-Roj.

Repatriation Attempts and Obstacles

The group has made multiple documented attempts to return to Australia.

February 2025 Attempt

A group of 34 Australians (11 women and 23 children) left Al-Roj camp with the intention of traveling to Damascus and then to Australia. Their convoy was turned back approximately 50 kilometers from its starting point by Syrian government authorities. Syrian officials stated that the journey had not been properly coordinated with them. The group was forced to return to the camp, where some families found their tents had been dismantled.

April 2025 Attempt

Four women and nine children from the same extended family departed Al-Roj camp on a Friday. They traveled to Damascus with the intention of flying to Australia. Syrian authorities prevented the group from reaching Damascus International Airport. The Syrian Information Ministry stated that the group was turned back because the Australian government had refused to receive them. The group is currently in Damascus in an uncertain legal status.

Facilitation and Support

Dr. Jamal Rifi, a Sydney doctor, has coordinated efforts to facilitate the group's return. He stated he acted as a "delivery boy" to bring passports to Syria. Legal practitioners provided pro bono services. Dr. Rifi stated he covered costs for children's citizenship by descent. He identified two obstacles to the February mission's success: a lack of official support from the Australian government and a premature media notification that he said angered the Syrian regime.

Camp officials have confirmed the group received single-entry passports. The US Department of State has been in "active communication" with nations to facilitate repatriation of their citizens from Syrian camps.

Australian Government Position

The Australian government's official position is that it will not conduct or assist in the repatriation of this group from Syria.

Official Stance

• No Repatriation: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stated, "Australia is not providing repatriation and is providing no support for these people." A government spokesperson has affirmed, "The Australian government is not and will not repatriate people from Syria."
• Legal Obligations: The government acknowledges it has legal obligations as Australian citizens can apply for passports. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed that passports were issued through standard administrative processes based on advice from security agencies.
• Legal Consequences: Minister Burke has stated that anyone who has broken the law will face the full force of the law upon return. Minister Burke noted that some individuals in the cohort may be weighing their decision to return due to fears of arrest.
• Temporary Exclusion Order: A Temporary Exclusion Order (TEO) has been issued for one woman, prohibiting her entry to Australia for up to two years on national security grounds. This is the first publicly reported instance of such an order. The woman reportedly immigrated to Australia between 1996 and 2007 and traveled to Syria between 2013 and 2015. Minister Burke stated that security agencies did not provide advice indicating other members met the legal criteria for TEOs.
• No Facilitated Return: Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has stated, "The Australian government is not repatriating these people."

Government Rhetoric

• "You make your bed, you lie in it": Prime Minister Albanese has used this phrase to describe the women's situation.
• "Contempt": Albanese has expressed "contempt" for the women who traveled to support IS.
• Children's Situation: Albanese has acknowledged the "unfortunate" impact on children but attributed their predicament to their parents' decisions.

Previous Repatriations

The Australian government has facilitated repatriations from Syrian camps on prior occasions:

• 2019: The Morrison government repatriated eight orphaned children and one newborn from Syrian camps.
• 2022: The Albanese government repatriated four women and 13 children who were assessed as posing the lowest security risk. One of the returnees, Mariam Raad, was later charged with traveling to a proscribed area and discharged without conviction.
• October 2024: Two women and four children independently left Al-Hawl camp, traveled through Lebanon, and returned to Australia. The government stated it had provided no support.

Historical Shift in Position

Several sources report that the current non-intervention stance represents a shift from earlier Labor party positions. Before coming to office, senior Labor figures argued that leaving Australians in Syrian camps posed a security risk. A plan to repatriate the entire cohort was reportedly prepared by then-Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil in 2024 but was abandoned due to concerns about backlash.

Political and Legal Responses

Opposition (Coalition) Position

• Opposition Leader Angus Taylor: Taylor has called for stronger measures to prevent repatriation. In a press conference on Monday, Taylor stated the group are "ISIS sympathisers." He has advocated for "values-based and belief-based tests" for entry to Australia.
• Proposed Legislation: The Coalition has proposed a new criminal offense targeting individuals who assist Australians with links to terrorist hotspots or organizations to return to Australia. The legislation would make it a crime to facilitate the re-entry of such individuals without government permission. The bill would target NGOs and advocates like Save the Children.
• Criticism of Government: Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jonno Duniam has criticized the government for not using special powers to block individuals. Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson suggested women should face charges upon return.
• Senator Sarah Henderson: Raised concerns about national security threats and suggested the government has options including Temporary Exclusion Orders.

Greens and Other Voices

• Senator David Shoebridge: Has criticized the government's position and Taylor's characterization of the children. He stated the children "had no choice" and that characterizing a young child as a terrorist sympathizer "debase politics."
• Legal Experts: Professor Don Rothwell from the Australian National University stated there is no law prohibiting the group from returning to Australia as citizens. He outlined three possible scenarios for returnees: arrest on arrival, arrest later following investigation, or no immediate arrest but subject to control orders.
• Humanitarian Groups: Save the Children Australia CEO Mat Tinkler argued for repatriation of the children. He has warned that the children's best interest is almost always served by remaining with parents. Tinkler stated that Australian national security agencies have advised ministers that bringing all these people home together is the safest course of action, as justice systems and de-radicalization programs are not present at scale in Syria.

State Government Responses

• Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan: Stated her priority is community safety. She acknowledged the difficulty for communities such as Assyrian, Lebanese, and Middle Eastern Christian groups who sought safety in Australia.
• New South Wales Premier Chris Minns: Expressed expectation that up to a third of the families might resettle in his state. He emphasized the children's innocence and the state's commitment to their education and safety.

Community and International Perspectives

• Yazidi Community: Sami Sheebo, a Yazidi community leader, expressed concerns about returnees, citing past experiences with IS fighters who invaded his village in 2014.
• Assyrian Christian Leaders: Youel Zaya and Ismail Ismail, who fled Syria after IS took their village, questioned what children raised under IS influence might be thinking.
• Muslim Organizations: The Australian National Imams Council, Muslim Legal Network, and Lebanese Muslim Association called for repatriation, arguing children should not be punished for their parents' actions.
• UN Expert: Ben Saul, UN special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, indicated that potential security risks would be better managed by allowing the 34 women and children to return to Australia.
• US Government: A senior Trump administration official stated the US is in "active communication" with countries to facilitate repatriation of citizens in Syria. US military commander Admiral Brad Cooper urged all nations to repatriate their citizens.

One Nation Influence

Several sources note that One Nation's rise is influencing Australia's political discourse on immigration. The party's hardline rhetoric has been observed as shifting political discussions to the right, with Prime Minister Albanese's hardening of rhetoric regarding the women viewed by analysts as a strategic move to prevent Labor from being perceived as lenient.

Other Related Developments

• Hizb ut-Tahrir Ban: Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced the first phase of banning the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir under new hate laws. ASIO advised the group met the criteria under new legal frameworks established after the Bondi attack.
• Bondi Attack Context: The issue of Islamic State supporters saw renewed attention following the killings of 15 people at a Jewish festival in Bondi Beach on December 14, where attackers were allegedly inspired by IS.
• Fuel Prices and Qantas: Qantas reported a half-year pre-tax profit of $1.46 billion. A Westpac analysis indicated Australians reduced spending on fuel by 3.8%.
• Royal Succession: Prime Minister Albanese supported removing Prince Andrew from the UK line of succession.
• NDIS Reforms: Health Minister Mark Butler announced NDIS changes expected to reduce participants from approximately 760,000 to around 600,000 by 2030.