Australia Arrests Three Women Linked to Islamic State After Return From Syria

Australian authorities have arrested three women linked to the extremist group Islamic State (IS) after they returned to the country from detention camps in Syria alongside nine children.

The women, identified as Kawsar Abbas, Zeinab Ahmed, and Janai Safar, were taken into custody upon arrival in Melbourne and Sydney on Thursday.

Australian police confirmed that a fourth woman who travelled with the group was not arrested.

The return of the women and children has reignited debate in Australia over the repatriation of citizens linked to extremist organisations following the collapse of the IS caliphate in Syria in 2019.

Authorities said the women had spent years in detention camps in northeastern Syria, including the al-Roj camp, where thousands of foreign nationals and their children have remained under difficult humanitarian conditions.

Police indicated that some of the women could face terrorism-related charges, including entering or remaining in declared conflict zones, while investigations into possible crimes against humanity are also ongoing.

Officials said the children, believed to be between six and their mid-teens, will receive psychological support and undergo assessments aimed at identifying possible exposure to extremist ideology.

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, said the government had long prepared for the possibility of their return.

“These are people who made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation and place their children in an unspeakable situation,” Burke said, adding that anyone found to have committed crimes would face the full force of the law.

The head of Australia’s domestic intelligence agency also said authorities would closely monitor the returnees but noted there was no immediate security threat.

One of the women reportedly told journalists during a stopover in Doha that life in Syria had been “like hell” for the children and expressed relief at returning to Australia.

The case highlights ongoing global challenges faced by governments dealing with citizens who travelled to Syria and Iraq during the height of Islamic State’s territorial control and are now seeking repatriation years after the group’s defeat.