Four Australian women and 13 children, who are the families of Islamic State fighters, have returned to Sydney after spending more than three years in detention camps in Syria.
The families were flown home as part of a covert operation and are expected to be questioned by authorities about their activities abroad.
The government said the women and children who have been repatriated were individually assessed by national security agencies.
File image: Foreign IS women and children line up at a camp in Syria to be taken to shops in 2019. (Kate Geraghty/Sydney Morning Herald)
“The Australian Government has repatriated four Australian women and their 13 Australian children to New South Wales from a displaced persons camp in Syria,” Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said in a statement .
“At all times the focus has been the safety and security of all Australians, as well as the safety of those involved in the operation. Informed by national security advice, the government has carefully considered the range of security factors, community and well-being when making the decision to repatriate.
“The decision to repatriate these women and their children was informed by individual assessments following detailed work by national security agencies.
“The Government’s decision follows similar repatriations carried out by the previous Morrison Government in 2019, as well as the United States, Italy, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and, most recently, Canada.
“Allegations of illegal activity will continue to be investigated by the NSW Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, made up of the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the NSW Police and the NSW Crime Commission. Any offenses identified may result in law enforcement action being taken.”
They have offered to wear tracking devices, inform authorities and not communicate with certain people, which is in line with Australia’s counter-terrorism orders.
A NSW Government spokesman said it recognized there would be concerns in some communities but had sought assurances that those returning did not pose a safety risk.
“Following this decision, the NSW Government sought assurances from the Commonwealth Government that the return of these individuals does not pose a safety risk to the NSW public,” the spokesman said.
“The Commonwealth has a legal responsibility to determine who is repatriated, and has done so following security assessments carried out by Commonwealth law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
“NSW Police and our agencies will work closely with Commonwealth agencies to ensure the safety of people in New South Wales.
“We recognize the deep concerns of members of the NSW community, who have either fled Islamic State or had family members persecuted by the regime.
“NSW is a cohesive and resilient society that does not tolerate violent extremism and our agencies will work closely with the Commonwealth to assist in the reintegration of these repatriated Australians.”
Shadow Home Secretary Karen Andrews said she was concerned by the decision.
“The actions taken by the Albanian government to put Australian lives at risk to extract women and children from the fields of Syria is inexcusable,” Mr Andrews said.
There are about 40 women and children with Australian citizenship in the Syrian camps.
They are expected to be repatriated in the coming months.