Australia to Repatriate Four Women and Nine Children from Syrian Camps After Islamic State Links

Authorities in two Australian states are preparing to resettle children returning from Syrian detention camps where they lived under Islamic State rule. Four women and nine children are expected to return to Australia on Thursday. All returning individuals apart from a mother and her child are bound for Melbourne.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that at least some of the mothers face possible criminal charges upon their return. The children endured squalid conditions in the camps after their time under Islamic State rule. State authorities have coordinated to manage the resettlement of the group.

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The impending return of the 13 individuals marks the latest chapter in Australia's efforts to repatriate citizens linked to the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. The families had been held in detention camps following the territorial defeat of Islamic State. Victorian and one other state government have readied housing, welfare and child support services ahead of the Thursday arrival.

Federal and state officials have declined to detail exact flight arrangements or the precise identities of those returning. Preparations have focused on the welfare of the nine children, several of whom were born in the camps. The mother and child not heading to Melbourne will be resettled in the second state involved in the operation.