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Australia Rules Out Repatriation After IS-Linked Families Are Returned to Syrian Camp

One member has been barred from returning under a temporary exclusion order following security advice.

Family members of suspected Islamic State militants who are Australian nationals board a van heading to the airport in Damascus during the first repatriation operation of the year, at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. Thirty-four Australian citizens from 11 families departed the camp. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)
People walk beside a van with their belongings for departure at the Roj camp in al Malikiyah, Syria, on February 15, 2026. These families, who had been affiliated with ISIS, are among 11 Australian families repatriated from the Roj camp. The transfer operations faced challenges and obstacles, leading to the families being returned to the camp until the issue is resolved. (Photo by Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
Members of Australian families believed to be linked to the Islamic State militants leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria February 16, 2026. The families later returned to the detention center due to "technical reasons," two sources told Reuters. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
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Overview

  • Thirty-four Australians from 11 families left the Roj camp for Damascus but were turned back and returned to the camp due to incomplete procedures and lack of permission to enter government-held areas.
  • Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government will not provide assistance or repatriation and warned that anyone who returns may face prosecution under Australian terrorism laws.
  • Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed a temporary exclusion order for one individual in the cohort, said others have not met the legal threshold, and noted security agencies are monitoring the situation.
  • Camp officials reported seeing temporary Australian passports for some in the group, a claim not confirmed by Canberra, underscoring disputed documentation and coordination hurdles between Kurdish and Syrian authorities.
  • UN experts and groups such as Save the Children renewed calls to bring the children home on protection grounds, though an Australian federal court has ruled the government has no legal obligation to repatriate citizens from the camps.