Two flights carrying nineteen women and children linked to the Islamic State group have landed in Australia. The group, which left al-Roj camp in northern Syria last week, arrived at Melbourne and Sydney airports on Tuesday afternoon. Most boarded flights from Qatar, with no financial support offered by the federal government.
The cohort arriving in Melbourne included so-called ISIS brides Kirsty Rosse-Emile and Kawsar Kanj, along with seven children, including one who recently turned 18. In Sydney, four women—Aminah Zahab, her daughter Sumaya Zahab, her niece Nesrine Zahab, and Hyam Raad—landed with six children aboard flight QR908.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) conducted searches of belongings and downloaded devices as part of operational responses. No arrests or charges were made, but investigations into the activities of Australians who traveled to Syria and returned are ongoing. Armed police patrolled the arrivals area at Sydney International Airport, though security presence appeared routine.
One passenger on the Doha-to-Sydney flight reported seeing women and children escorted off the plane before other passengers disembarked. NSW Police indicated some family members were expected to meet the returnees. The women were escorted through a side exit, separate from the main terminal area.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed contempt for anyone sympathizing with ISIS, reiterating that no financial support was offered and warning returnees would face the full force of the law. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated the cohort made their own travel plans from Syria to Australia, describing their choice to join a terrorist organization as horrific.
Dr. Jamal Rifi, a Sydney doctor who campaigned for Australians in camps to return, said lobbying the Syrian government was key to securing the group's release. He noted that the Syrian government was convinced of Australia's legal system to handle any offenses. Earlier this month, four women and children returned from al-Roj camp, with three women arrested and charged on arrival.
