Four IS‑linked Australian women and nine children return, authorities brace for arrests

The Home Affairs Minister confirmed that the group began its journey from Doha after a decade‑long counter‑terrorism operation tracked them in Syria’s al‑Roj camp. All hold Australian passports and are expected to land in Melbourne and Sydney later today.

Minister Tony Burke said any returnee who has committed a crime will “face the full force of the law.” He added that the government has provided no assistance to the travelers and that only one exclusion order – a legal ban on re‑entry – is in place for a different individual deemed a security risk.

AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett explained that police may arrest and charge some of the adults upon arrival. She declined to specify numbers, citing operational considerations. The children, many born in the former ISIS‑controlled territory, will be placed in a government‑run anti‑extremist program and receive psychological support.

The cohort includes the Abbas family – mother Kawsar Abbas, her two adult daughters and eight grandchildren – who plan to settle in Melbourne, and Janai Safar with her child, who will move to Sydney. Their husbands travelled to Syria in 2012 under the banner of a registered charity, Global Humanitarian Aid Australia, but investigators suspect the charity was used to fund the terror group.

Australian law does not allow the state to block citizens from returning unless a formal exclusion order exists. Consequently, the government’s response relies on criminal prosecution and preventive programs rather than deportation.

Security agencies have been preparing for this return since 2015, coordinating a joint taskforce of experienced investigators and analysts. ASIO (Australia’s domestic security agency) has supplied risk assessments, and officials say they will monitor the group for any signs of extremist behaviour.

The arrivals come after a larger group was turned back by Syrian authorities in February, prompting renewed pressure from allies such as the United States for nations to repatriate their citizens.

What it means: The government’s hardline stance signals that legal accountability will be pursued for any wrongdoing, while children will receive intervention aimed at deradicalisation. Watch for police statements on arrests and for the rollout of the anti‑extremist program in the coming weeks.