Thirteen Australian women and children who had been held in northeastern Syria arrived back in Australia on Thursday, landing on two Qatar Airways flights. Federal and state police detained at least some of the returnees on arrival, and investigators said prosecutions remain possible under terrorism and slavery-related laws. The group flew via Damascus and Doha, with one plane carrying three women and eight children into Melbourne and a separate flight carrying one woman and her son into Sydney. Federal officials said authorities would monitor the group and that prosecutors will decide whether to lay charges.
Thirteen Australians left detention camps in northeastern Syria and flew to Australia on Thursday, authorities and passengers said. The returnees boarded flights through Damascus to Doha before taking two Qatar Airways planes to Australia, one touching down in Melbourne and the other in Sydney.
Detentions on arrival and who returned
Police officers and state counterterrorism teams were visible when the flights arrived, according to passengers and photographers. One passenger said a woman was escorted off a Sydney flight and taken to a local police station. In separate reporting, New South Wales and Victorian joint counterterrorism teams were reported to have arrested three women on arrival.
Named among the returnees are Kawsar Abbas and two adult daughters believed to have been aboard the Melbourne flight, and former Sydney nursing student Janai Safar, who arrived in Sydney with her nine-year-old son and was identified as one of the women detained. Officials haven't released a full list of names.
Passengers quoted by reporters described returnees saying they had spent many years in Syrian camps. One passenger relayed a claim that a woman had been in Syria for as long as 12 years. Several children were described as having been born in camp conditions.
Legal stakes and government posture
Federal and state authorities say some adults face potential criminal exposure. Investigators pointed to Australian laws that made travel to Islamic State strongholds such as Raqqa without legitimate reason an offense between 2014 and 2017, a crime that carries up to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors are also probing potential offences linked to crimes against humanity and slavery.
The Australian Federal Police have been investigating suspected Australian involvement in atrocities in Syria for more than a decade, and AFP prosecutors are coordinating with state police units on responses to the new arrivals. Federal and state teams said they would determine whether to lay charges after interviews and a review of evidence.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said officials only learned of the travel plans after tickets were booked, and that there were plans in place to monitor and manage the returns. Domestic intelligence chief Mike Burgess said security agencies would closely watch the group but that they saw no immediate public threat.
There are differing accounts of how much the Australian government helpd the return. Some reporting cites the Deputy Prime Minister as saying the government isn't actively repatriating citizens, while other coverage frames the returns as occurring without affirmative government facilitation, with officials describing the movements as monitored once they were known.
One single-source report quoted a YPJ official saying the returnees "might stay in Damascus or around Damascus for a while, it could be around 72 hours, then they will be deported." That account is marked as single-source and hasn't been corroborated by other reporting.
State agencies will coordinate medical, educational and rehabilitation supports for the children, authorities said. The returns present both criminal and social service challenges for Australian authorities, who must balance prosecutions with child welfare responsibilities.
This repatriation follows an earlier, larger attempt in February to bring home 34 women and children from the same camp that was turned back by Syrian authorities. In that episode, one woman on the earlier flight was issued a temporary exclusion order by Australia.
The group now returned is reported to have been held in northeastern camps such as al-Roj, also spelled Al-Raj in some accounts, since roughly 2019 or earlier. Several reports say the returnees left the camp and travelled to Damascus in the weeks before departure.
Federal police said investigators would brief reporters later on Thursday. Prosecutors are expected to decide whether to lay charges under terrorism and related laws after interviews and evidence reviews are completed.
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Federal police will brief reporters later Thursday, and prosecutors will decide whether to lay charges.
This article was created with AI assistance.
