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Trump administration urges countries to help citizens stuck in Syria as Australia maintains hardline stance
TL;DR
The Trump administration is urging countries to repatriate citizens stranded in Syria, while Australia maintains a hardline stance on Australian women and children detained there. A group of four women and their nine children attempted to return to Australia but are currently stuck in Damascus.
Key points
- Trump administration urges repatriation of citizens from Syria
- Australia maintains hardline stance on citizens detained in Syria
- Group of four women and nine children stuck in Damascus
- Seven Australian women and 14 children remain in al-Roj camp
Mentioned in this story
Trump administrationAustralian governmentSyriaal-Roj campAlbanese
The Trump administration says it is in “active communication” with countries, urging them to repatriate citizens stranded in Syria,while the Australian government maintains its hardline stance towards Australian women and children detained since the fall of Islamic State.
A group of four women, their nine children and grandchildren left al-Roj camp, in Syria’s north-east, last Friday in a bid to return to Australia, with reports on Thursday morning that the Albanese government’s refusal to help them has left them stuck in Damascus.
Family members of the women and children did not respond to requests for comment.
Most of the group are three generations of the same family, who have previously said they travelled to Syria for humanitarian purposes.
A further seven Australian women, and 14 of their children, remain in al-Roj camp, the Guardian has been told.
The Australians are the wives, widows and children of jailed or dead Islamic State fighters, and most have been held at the camp for more than six years. Many of the women have said they were coerced or tricked into entering Syria, or visited neighbouring countries for humanitarian reasons before being trafficked into IS territory. Some of the children were born in the camp and have never been outside it.
None of the Australians has been charged with a crime, but one woman has been issued with a temporary exclusion order seeking to prevent her return to Australia.
Australia-based supporters of the women and children who assisted in previous return missions did not respond to a request for comment, but have previously been concerned about the combative stance taken by the Albanese government.
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The squalid and dangerous al-Roj camp, controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) but described by the US as an “incubator for radicalisation”, is being steadily shuttered, ahead of an expected handover to the Syrian government.
News of the latest attempt by the Australians to return home prompted the Albanese government to again claim the cohort was not wanted, warning members would be prosecuted to the “full extent of the law” on return to Australia if they had committed an offence.
But the US government, which funds the camp’s operation, has consistently insisted countries take back their citizens, and has repeatedly offered to help with repatriations.
Q&A
What is the Trump administration doing about citizens stranded in Syria?
The Trump administration is in active communication with countries, urging them to repatriate their citizens stranded in Syria.
Why is Australia maintaining a hardline stance on citizens in Syria?
Australia's government has refused to assist Australian women and children detained in Syria, maintaining a strict policy regarding their repatriation.
What happened to the group of Australian women and children in Syria?
A group of four Australian women and their nine children left al-Roj camp but are currently stuck in Damascus due to the Albanese government's refusal to help them.
How many Australians are still in al-Roj camp in Syria?
There are seven Australian women and 14 of their children remaining in al-Roj camp in Syria.
