Brussels – Australia is preparing a covert mission to repatriate a group of women and children from detention camps in northeast Syria before the end of this year, according to The Australian.
The planned operation, now in its final stages pending approval, would bring home more than a dozen women and children, along with several young men, to the states of New South Wales and Victoria. It would be the country’s third such mission since 2019.
The move comes as conditions inside camps such as Roj and al-Hol deteriorate, with growing security risks and worsening humanitarian conditions. Federal officials are quietly working with families, aid groups, and the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria to secure travel documents and permissions from neighbouring countries.
Also read: Kurdish-led SDF Arrests 51 ISIS Members in Northeast Syria
Canberra has ruled out sending military forces to Syria, citing security concerns. Instead, multiple federal agencies are preparing to manage reintegration once the group lands in Australia. A spokesperson for the Immigration Minister said the government was aware of Australians seeking return from Syria but stressed that direct assistance was “extremely limited” given the security environment.
Roughly 34 Australian nationals remain in Roj camp, including 14 adults and 20 children, the youngest just five years old. Aid organizations such as Save the Children have pushed for repatriation, but a 2023 High Court ruling rejected a legal bid to compel the government to act.
Australia first repatriated orphaned children of slain ISIS fighter Khaled Sharrouf in 2019, followed by a 2022 mission that brought back four women and 13 children. Some, including Mariam Raad, later faced charges but avoided conviction.
Regional actors continue to warn of the risks posed by camps. Iraqi officials describe al-Hol in particular as a “ticking time bomb,” calling for urgent international cooperation to rehabilitate and reintegrate camp residents. Baghdad has proposed a UN-backed initiative and plans to raise the issue at the UN General Assembly in New York later this month.
