Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria released 34 Australians on Monday, all with ties to Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists, who had been held in the Roj camp. The information was confirmed to AFP by the camp's director, Hakmieh Ibrahim.
These 34 people, members of 11 families, were the last Australian nationals still being held by Kurdish forces. "Today, we are handing over 11 families who hold Australian citizenship to their relatives, who came from Australia to collect them," said Hakmieh Ibrahim, adding that the Roj camp still houses 2 people from some 201 different nationalities.
An AFP photographer observed women, some fully veiled, and children leaving the camp with their belongings. For their part, Australian authorities asserted on Monday that "the government is not repatriating people from Syria."
The Roj camp remains under the control of Kurdish forces, who are holding relatives of foreign jihadists there, including Western nationals, among them French citizens. In January, Kurdish forces withdrew from the larger al-Hol camp under military pressure from Syrian central government security forces, which had taken control of it.
Since the resumption of hostilities, thousands of women and children of foreign jihadists have fled the al-Hol camp, which housed approximately 24,000 people, including nearly 6,300 foreigners, according to Kurdish authorities. Their destination remains unknown.
In Australia, the repatriation of relatives of ISIS members is a subject of debate. Some politicians believe these women pose a potential threat to national security. Conversely, non-governmental organizations are calling for their care, denouncing their "appalling" detention conditions. In 2023, Save the Children Australia filed a lawsuit on behalf of 11 women and 20 children seeking their repatriation.
