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Some of the Australian women linked to Islamic State fighters face arrest and possible charges on return from Syria this week, with the government and federal police promising a hardline response when the group touches down.
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, confirmed the government was aware that four Australian women and nine of their children had begun the journey home, after more than a decade of planning by a joint Asio and Australian federal police (AFP) counter-terrorism taskforce.
Their arrivals, via flights from Doha, are expected on Thursday.
The government insists they have provided no assistance to the group, who were among a larger group of 34 Australian women and their children that had been stuck in the Al Roj camp in northern Syria for several years, following the territorial collapse of Islamic State.
Australian citizens cannot legally be prevented from returning to the country unless a formal exclusion order is in place. Burke has issued a single order to prevent one woman in Syria from returning, based on Asio advice about a national security risk.
On Wednesday morning, the government was alerted to the planned departure of a group of 13 who left Al Roj and travelled to Damascus last month. They all hold Australian passports.
“These are people who have made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation and to place their children in an unspeakable situation,” Burke said.
“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.”
The AFP commissioner, Krissy Barrett, said some of the adults in the group faced arrest and possible charges when they reach Australia, while the children would be required to take part in an anti-extremist program. They will also receive psychological support.
She would not disclose how many of the adults faced arrest, due to operational considerations by police.
Behind the scenes planning for the group’s return has been under way for 10 years, including a community liaison team working with affected local communities.
“Operational planning for the return of these individuals started in 2015,” Barrett said.
“The joint counter-terrorism teams … include some of the most experienced national security investigators and analysts in this country.”
Asio’s director-general, Mike Burgess, said advice about the group had been provided to policing agencies.
“The government understands our assessed risk,” he said.
“It’s up to them what they do when they get here. If they start to exhibit signs of concern, we and the police, through the joint counter-terrorism teams, will take action.
“I’m not concerned immediately by their return, but they’ll get our attention, as you expect.”
The group last month began their second attempt to travel home to Australia, after a much larger cohort was turned back by Syrian authorities earlier this year. Syrian authorities were taking the group to Damacus, amid international pressure for countries to take back foreign fighters stuck in the camp.
The United States has pushed countries including Australia to repatriate citizens who had travelled to the Middle East to join the IS caliphate, but the issue has dogged successive governments.
Labor under Anthony Albanese had supported bringing the families home as recently as 2022, but the politics surrounding the return of the group has dramatically shifted since the December shootings at Bondi Beach.
Albanese has refused to assist the group, saying the adults “made their bed” and should suffer the consequences of their actions.
