The ABC was told they were forced to turn around after Syrian authorities said their journey from the Kurdish-held region had not been properly coordinated with officials.<\/p>\n
It is not yet clear whether the families will attempt the trip again in the coming days.<\/p>\n
Mr Albanese said Australian officials had certain “obligations” under the law, but would not confirm whether the families had been given Australian passports.<\/p>\n
He said the government would not provide them with “any assistance or repatriation”.<\/p>\n
“My mother would have said if you make your bed, you lie in it,” Mr Albanese told the ABC.<\/p>\n
“These are people who went overseas supporting Islamic State and went there to provide support for people who basically want a caliphate.”<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772590373_822_ec561a81d95a4f09d68bdd15dd2113fa.jpeg\")
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A group of 11 families left the Al-Roj camp last night, but were forced to turn back. (Supplied)<\/p>\n
Opposition suggests government should block adults’ return<\/p>\n
The group was among dozens of Australian women and children detained in Syrian camps and prisons since the defeat of the IS “caliphate” in 2019.<\/p>\n
Most, if not all, of the women were married to IS fighters who were captured or killed.<\/p>\n
Some of the women have previously told the ABC they did not choose to travel to Syria<\/a> and that many of the children in the camps were born there.<\/p>\n Explainer: What we know about the Australian families still stuck in Syria<\/a><\/p>\n Australia has made limited progress in clearing a passage for the Australian women and their children, citing safety issues in and around the camps, and security concerns back home.<\/p>\n Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson raised concerns about the prospect of the Australians’ return, suggesting the adults should be blocked from entering the country.<\/p>\n “The most important task of any government is to keep Australians safe,” she told the ABC.<\/p>\n “And if these are people who subscribed to ISIS ideology, who subscribe to this extremist ideology, then they should not be returning to Australia.”<\/p>\n Senator Henderson argued the government had a “range of options” available, including imposing temporary exclusion orders (TEOs).<\/p>\n The group consists of 34 women and children who have been held in the camp since IS was defeated. (Supplied)<\/p>\n TEOs allow the government to block Australians aged 14 and above from entering Australia without a permit for up to two years if they are deemed to be a national security threat.<\/p>\n Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the federal government was getting advice on whether the threshold for TEOs had been met.<\/p>\n ‘You don’t know my story’: Australian women who lived under ISIS beg to come home<\/a><\/p>\n Australian women who lived in the Islamic State terror group’s so-called caliphate speak from detention camps in Syria for the first time, begging the federal government to bring them home.<\/p>\n “We will always act in accordance with advice from our law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies,” he said in a statement issued today.<\/p>\n The federal opposition said the group of ISIS-linked families posed a security risk to Australia.<\/p>\n “For anyone who shares, or potentially shares ISIS ideology \u2014 this is the ideology that underpinned the Bondi terrorist attack,” Senator Henderson said.<\/p>\n “Australians must be given every confidence that for people who are linked with ISIS, that all of the appropriate security assessments have been made.”<\/p>\n Australian citizens previously repatriated from Syria<\/p>\n Successive federal governments have grappled with how to respond to Australians seeking to return from the camps.<\/p>\n In 2019 the the Morrison government worked with an aid agency to remove eight orphaned children from a Syrian camp, including those of killed IS terrorist Khaled Sharrouf.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772590373_341_5e7e4b2bc237102749c2a86afe09b871.jpeg\")
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