Group of women and children with alleged ISIL ties returns to Australia

Nineteen women and children with alleged links to ISIL returned to Australia from a Syrian refugee camp. Six women and thirteen children arrived on Tuesday, with one group landing in Sydney and the other in Melbourne. This was the second cohort to return from Syria that month. The government said it had not assisted them and warned that anyone found to have engaged in criminal activity would be prosecuted. Australian Federal Police made no arrests on arrival and stated that investigations were ongoing. The returns have drawn anger, including reports of a scuffle at Melbourne airport during escort. Australia has been reluctant to repatriate citizens who traveled to join ISIL, while France and the UK have opposed returns. The UN has criticized France for failing to repatriate children born in Syria, and the UK has taken steps affecting citizenship.

"The six women and 13 children arrived from a Syrian refugee camp on Tuesday, with one group landing in Sydney and the other in Melbourne. It is the second cohort of Australian women and children to return from Syria this month. Responding to criticism over their arrival, the Australian government said it had not assisted them in any capacity. These are people who have made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation and to place their children in an unspeakable situation, Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke said."

"Australian Federal Police have not made any arrests but say inquiries are ongoing. At the height of its power in 2015, ISIL controlled territory across Syria and Iraq roughly equivalent in size to the United Kingdom. Australian women began travelling to Syria to marry members of ISIL in 2012, with some allegedly taken against their will. The group's return has sparked anger in some sections of Australian society."

"According to local media, a large police presence was deployed at Melbourne airport, where a scuffle reportedly broke out as the group of women and children was escorted out through a side entrance. Australia is one of several Western countries that have shown reluctance to repatriate citizens who travelled to the Middle East to join ISIL about a decade ago. Both France and the UK have expressed opposition to allowing former ISIL members to return."

"In 2022, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child said that France's failure to repatriate children born to French nationals in Syria violated their right to life and exposed them to inhumane treatment. Meanwhile, the UK stripped Britis"

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