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Updated 9 May 2026 - Three of four Australian women repatriated from Syrian detention camps this week were immediately detained upon arrival, leaving the fourth facing media scrutiny with her children as authorities weigh further action.
Return amid heightened tensions
After years confined in high-security camps following the collapse of Islamic State (IS) territorial control in Syria, four Australian women and their children landed in Australia this week. Their freedom proved brief: three were arrested, while the fourth, accompanied by her son, confronted reporters alone, aware she could be next.
Australia has long resisted repatriating citizens linked to IS, despite pressure to retrieve families of fighters from squalid camps. The government's stance has hardened since December's Bondi Beach mass shooting, allegedly IS-inspired, which killed 15 people. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has repeatedly stated, "If you make your bed, you have to lie in it."
Conditions in Syrian camps
The two camps housing IS-affiliated families-Al-Hol and Al-Roj-have been described as volatile hubs of radicalization and humanitarian crises. Al-Hol was shuttered in February after Syrian forces reclaimed control, but Al-Roj, in Syria's Kurdish-administered northeast, remains operational. Approximately 2,000 people from over 50 countries, including Shamima Begum (stripped of British citizenship), remain stranded there.
Among them are 21 Australians: seven women and 14 children. Many were teenagers when they left Australia, some allegedly groomed by extremists. Their children, born in captivity, have known no other life.
Arrests and investigations
Janai Safar, 32, was charged with terrorism offenses shortly after arriving in Sydney with her nine-year-old son. In a 2019 interview, Safar, a former nursing student, claimed she "didn't train or kill anyone" but expressed no regret for joining IS.
In Melbourne, Zahra Ahmed, 33, her sister Zeinab, 31, and their mother Kawsar Abbas, 54, were detained. The family insists they were trapped in Syria after attending a wedding where the groom pledged allegiance to IS. Authorities suspect the family patriarch funneled money to the group. Zeinab and Kawsar face charges of crimes against humanity related to slavery, while Zahra remains under investigation. The nine children repatriated with the group will undergo deradicalization programs.
"We are forced to suffer for decisions male influencers made on our behalf. Now they're gone, and we're left with our kids."
Zahra Ahmed, 2024 interview with SBS
Public and political backlash
Public sentiment has soured, with many Australians opposing the repatriations. "They made their choice to go over there and be with their terrorist husbands, so let them stay," said Peter Cockburn, a Geelong resident interviewed at Melbourne Airport. Refugees who fled IS atrocities, including Yazidi survivors, have expressed distress at the women's return.
Advocates, however, argue the children deserve protection. Dr. Jamal Rifi, a Sydney physician who provided telehealthcare to the families, has become a vocal supporter, risking public backlash. "If those women broke laws, throw the book at them. But while they're in Syria, the government can't do anything except talk," Rifi told the BBC in February. He warns that prolonged detention worsens radicalization risks.
Opposition parties have seized on the issue, proposing laws to jail those aiding repatriations. Aftab Malik, Australia's special envoy to combat Islamophobia, acknowledged the "alarm and fear" but urged adherence to the rule of law, calling for a calmer national debate.
Legal and humanitarian dilemmas
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated the government did not facilitate the women's return and will not assist others. However, legal barriers to blocking repatriations are high. One woman was barred from returning in February on national security grounds, but no others in the group met the threshold for exclusion.
Rodger Shanahan, a Middle East expert at the Lowy Institute, noted the issue has become politically charged. "Had the government addressed this earlier, it might have blown over," he said.
For advocates like Jana Fevaro of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, the solution lies in trusting Australia's legal system. "When politicians decide how citizens should be treated, it's a dangerous slope," she warned.
Uncertain future for remaining detainees
With 21 Australians still in Al-Roj, some mothers have suggested allowing their children to return without them-a proposal Rifi calls "unthinkable." He continues to push for public support, arguing that immediate repatriation eases rehabilitation and reduces radicalization risks.
"If you leave them for another 10 years, will they get better or worse? Mentally, emotionally, psychologically, ideologically-it will get worse. Bring them now, and it's easier to rehabilitate, educate, and deradicalize."
Dr. Jamal Rifi, February 2026
