CANBERRA: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reiterated that his country will not repatriate women and children from Al Roj camp, a detention facility housing individuals with alleged ties to Islamic State.
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On Monday, 34 women and children from 11 families were scheduled to travel from the camp to Damascus before being flown to Australia. However, Syrian authorities returned them to the camp, citing incomplete travel procedures. The families, believing they were being repatriated, were reportedly shocked and disappointed by the sudden reversal.
Prime Minister Albanese told ABC News, “We won’t repatriate them… These are people who went overseas supporting Islamic State and went there to provide support for people who basically want a caliphate.” He stressed that anyone returning to Australia who breaches the law would face the “full force of Australian law.”
Anthony Albanese has firmly ruled out providing government assistance to a cohort of ISIS-linked Australian families trying to re-enter the country, confirming they would ‘face the full force of the law’ if they managed to return. Read the latest: https://t.co/YYP0Fnfbqu pic.twitter.com/LpyKVtkJoF
— The Australian (@australian) February 16, 2026
Al Roj camp, run by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, houses roughly 2,200 people from around 50 nationalities, mostly women and children. While most detainees have not been formally charged with crimes, human rights groups have highlighted poor living conditions and frequent violence within the camp. Similar camps, including the larger Al Hol camp, have long been the subject of international debate over repatriation.
The camp’s director, Hakmiyeh Ibrahim, noted that Monday’s planned departures were organised by families and not coordinated directly with Australian authorities. He also confirmed that 16 families, including nationals from Germany, Britain, and France, were repatriated last year, while only three Australian families returned in 2022.
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Albanese’s stance mirrors growing caution among Western nations over repatriating citizens linked to extremist groups, citing both national security concerns and legal accountability. The fate of Al Roj and similar camps remains unresolved amid complex humanitarian and security considerations.