Six women and 13 children linked to the Islamic State (IS) landed in Melbourne and Sydney on May 26, completing what authorities believe is the final repatriation of Australian nationals from al-Roj, a Syrian detention camp where IS-linked families have been held since 2019.

A joint Victoria and New South Wales Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) statement confirmed the arrivals, with flights routed through Doha on Qatar Airways. No arrests were made. Investigators searched belongings and downloaded the returnees’ electronic devices for forensic analysis, and investigations into their activities in Syria continue.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed security agencies had been preparing for the return since 2014. “The government has not and will not provide any assistance to this group,” Burke said, warning that “any members of this cohort who have committed crimes can expect to face the full force of the law.”

The May 26 arrivals mark the second cohort this month. On May 7, Australian Federal Police (AFP) Assistant Commissioner for Counter Terrorism Stephen Nutt announced charges against three women from the first group.

Kawsar Abbas, 53, faces four counts of crimes against humanity, including slave possession and slave trading, offenses which carry a maximum 25-year prison sentence. Her daughter Zeinab Ahmed, 31, faces two slavery offenses. Janai Safar, 32, was charged with joining IS and entering a declared conflict zone.

Australian media identified several May 26 returnees, including Kirsty Rosse-Emile, Nesrine Zahab, Sumaya Zahab, Aminah Zahab, and Kawsar Kanj. Aminah is the mother of Muhammad Zahab, reported by the ABC as a senior IS recruiter who brought more than a dozen family members to Syria before his death in 2018.

At least one Australian woman remains at al-Roj under a temporary exclusion order barring her return until February 2028. Her family has retained a Sydney lawyer to challenge the order.