The Prime Minister has declined to comment on the cost to taxpayers of keeping an eye on a group of ISIS wives and their children who are expected to arrive from Syria on Thursday night.
A larger group is expected to land in Melbourne later in the afternoon on aircraft QR904, while ISIS-affiliated ladies are expected to arrive at Sydney Airport on flight QR908.
The party of thirteen, consisting of nine children and four Australian women, left the Al Roj camp in Syria last week.
Some of the ladies are anticipated to be arrested by Australian Federal Police officers when they arrive at the airport.
“I will confirm these points: some individuals will be arrested and charged,” an AFP official stated. “I will not flag how many individuals will be arrested, or when they’ll be arrested, to protect a number of our investigations.” When they get to Australia, some will be subject to ongoing investigations. “And children who return in the cohort will be asked to undergo community integration programs, therapeutic support, and countering violent extremism programs.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declined to comment when questioned by the Daily Mail about the expense of keeping an eye on these people, reaffirming the government’s position that the government is not assisting them.
On Thursday night, four Australian women and nine children connected to ISIS will go to Australia (file).
The federal government has not made it easier for them to return to Australia, according to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke (pictured). “The government has not and will not provide any assistance to this group,” Albanese stated. “These are people who have made, what is, a horrific choice, to join a dangerous terrorist organization and place their children in an extraordinary situation.”
When asked if his government anticipates that other Australian families would follow the group now that refugee camps in Syria are closing, he did not respond.
“The Government has not and will not provide any assistance to this group, which consists of four women and nine children,” stated Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke earlier on Wednesday. “As we have said many times, any members of this cohort who have committed crimes can expect to face the full force of the law.”
“Our world-class law enforcement and intelligence agencies have been preparing for their return since 2014 and have long-standing plans in place to manage and monitor them,” he continued, adding that the government had “long-standing plans” to handle their return.
Should returning ISIS brides be permitted to raise their kids in Australia?
The term “ISIS brides” refers to women who were recruited by the Islamic State and relocated to Iraq or Syria to wed fighters and raise their offspring (shown, members of Australian families thought to be connected to the Islamic State militants in Syria in February 2026).
Burke stated that there were “serious limits” on the government’s authority to ban Australian nationals from returning to the nation when asked if it had taken any action to impede the group’s return.
Additionally, he did not specifically denounce the actions of Dr Jamal Rifi, a general practitioner in Sydney with connections to Burke, who is believed to have given passports to women in the Al Roj camp earlier this year. The term “ISIS brides” refers to women who were recruited by the Islamic State and relocated to Iraq or Syria to marry fighters and raise their children.
Numerous women have said that they were duped into moving to Syria, and some experts speculate that recruiters present an idealised picture of life with the terrorist organization.
Investigators will have examined “someone’s state of mind, their intent, and their awareness and understanding of the situation they were in” prior to their arrest, according to AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett. “That most definitely forms part of the extensive investigations that we have done and in fact goes to us being able to prove or make the allegations and place those charges,” she told reporters.
After being granted Australian travel documents and making an attempt to return home, a convoy of 34 ISIS brides and their kids was told to return to the Al Roj refugee camp in February.
The caravan was prevented by Syrian officials from proceeding to Damascus, the country’s capital, where they had intended to make their journey.
The government had previously threatened to jail Australians returning from Syria if they were discovered to have committed crimes abroad.
Two women and four children connected to Islamic State fighters fled Syria through Lebanon and returned to Australia in September of last year.
They had escaped from the northeastern Syrian detention facility known as Al-Hol.
After security and DNA tests, the gang was granted Australian passports, and three months before they planned to return, the department was informed.
