IS families in Syria have booked tickets home to Australia, minister says

France, the Netherlands, and the UK have refused to repatriate most of their citizens still held in Syria.

The larger cohort previously comprised 34 individuals, of whom 23 are believed to be children.

ASIO head Mike Burgess said Australia is not immediately concerned but the group will get attention and action may follow if concerns arise.

Children who return would undergo community integration programs, therapeutic support and countering violent extremism programs.

Barrett noted investigators have been collecting evidence for more than a decade on potential terrorism offences and crimes against humanity (such as slave trading) related to the group.

Minister Burke said there are very serious limits on what the government can do to stop a citizen returning home, and that those who have committed crimes can expect to face the full force of the law.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said some individuals will be arrested and charged when they arrive in Australia.

The government confirms that 13 women and children with links to Islamic State have booked tickets to return to Australia; an alert was triggered when bookings were made hours earlier.

The larger cohort living in al-Roj camp in northern Syria left the camp in February 2026 and later returned for 'technical reasons' with the Australian government refusing to officially repatriate them.

Earlier this year, Australia banned one member of the group from returning home for up to two years under a temporary exclusion order.