Australia Bans Citizen Linked to ISIS from Returning for Two Years

Melbourne. Australia has banned a citizen linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) group in Syria from returning to the country for two years.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated that the decision was made based on the advice of security agencies. The banned individual is part of a group of 34 Australian women and children who came from an ISIS camp in Syria. Syrian authorities had returned them to Australia citing technical reasons. It is understood that entry was prohibited because most members of this group are believed to be wives, widows, or children of ISIS fighters. Twenty-three of them are children.

The Australian government has made it clear that it will not assist in bringing these families back home. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that those who decided to associate with extremist ideologies must take responsibility themselves. However, legal experts say the government is bound by law to ensure the right of citizens to return to the country.

The group had been residing in the Al-Hol camp in northern Syria. This camp has been holding women and children from various countries since ISIS was defeated in 2019. More than two thousand people from about 40 countries are living in the camp.