ISIS brides likely ‘weighing up’ Australia return: Tony Burke
Home Secretary Tony Burke said there would be no interference with the possible return of 13 women and children linked to former ISIS fighters.
But Mr Burke warned that some of the group reported to have left the Al-Roj detention camp in Syria may be “weighing whether they want to return to Australia” and that at least one person had a temporary exclusion order issued by the security group banning their return for up to two years.
It has been reported that the group recently set out for the Syrian capital, Damascus, in coordination with security forces and obtained a passport through Jamal Rifi, a prominent Western doctor in Sydney.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Mr Burke said women and children were “not a cohesive group”.
“So we shouldn’t expect every individual to face the same legal challenges as some,” Mr. Burke said.
Asked about the possibility of the group being arrested when they return to Australia, Mr Burke said he would leave the decision “whether to make an announcement or choose not to make an announcement” to the Australian Federal Police.
“Operationally, it is not possible for me to intervene in anything,” he said.
“But I have to say that anyone who breaks the law will face the full force of the law and I suspect some of those people will be weighing up whether they want to go back to Australia.”
The Albanian government has repeatedly rejected any offer of assistance to the group but said they were granted certain rights under the law, including passports.
In response, the Coalition accused the government of repatriating the cohort and claimed authorities had the power to deny them re-entry.
Mr Burke previously said the exclusion order against one of the group was made on the advice of ASIO.
This development comes after Nine Newspaper reported this week that a February letter from the US State Department stated that America wanted to “pressure countries to repatriate, especially in light of recent developments in the region”.
“I see that the Australian government has taken notice of their opposition to repatriating them from the camp,” a U.S. official wrote.
On Thursday, Anthony Albanese said the US position was “not new”.
“This has been their position for a while, we have stated our position for a while,” the Prime Minister said.
The Syrian Ministry of Information told The Associated Press on Thursday that the group of 13 women and children were turned back after reaching the airport. The Foreign Office was reportedly told that the Australian government “refused to receive them”.
“These families are still waiting for a solution that can only be achieved through coordination with relevant international parties,” the ministry said in a statement to the AP. he said.
