Two Australian Women Linked to Daesh Return Home After Fleeing Syria

Two Australian Women Linked to Daesh Return Home After Fleeing Syria
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Two Australian women formerly affiliated with Daesh and their four children have returned to Australia after escaping from northern Syria and being briefly detained in Lebanon, Arab News reported.

The women entered Lebanon without valid travel documents after being smuggled out of Syria, where they had been living in detention camps for relatives of Daesh fighters. Lebanese authorities held them for questioning before confirming their Australian citizenship.

The report said that Canberra’s agencies issued them travel documents while they were in detention, allowing their return to Australia. However, an Australian government spokesperson told Arab News that the government did not facilitate or sponsor their departure from Syria, emphasizing that it remains “not actively engaged in repatriation operations.”

Officials stated that the women and their children are now being monitored by Australian security services to assess any potential risks. Arab News noted that their arrival reignites domestic debate over the repatriation of citizens linked to extremist groups.

The case follows a similar 2023 repatriation of Mariam Raad, another Australian national who was charged after returning from a Syrian detention camp due to her husband’s ties to Daesh, according to Arab News.