Trending Now - Nineteen Australians With ISIS Ties Return Home From Syria
WHO:
AP News - 19 Australian women and children linked to the Islamic State group.
AP News - Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
AP News - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
AP News - Jamal Rifi, a community leader in Sydney’s Lebanese Muslim diaspora.
AP News - Kawsar Ahmed, also known as Kawsar Abbas, 53, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmed, 31.
AP News - Janai Safar, 32, and her 9-year-old son.
WHAT:
AP News - Two women with seven children flew to Melbourne, while four women with six children landed about an hour later in Sydney.
AP News - The government has not provided assistance to the group returning from Syria, according to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
AP News - At least two Australians remain in Roj camp, including a mother who was prevented from returning to Australia by a temporary exclusion order.
AP News - The mother in Roj camp left her Sydney home at the age of 18 in 2015 to marry an IS fighter in Syria.
AP News - Two planes carrying 19 Australians linked to ISIS landed in Melbourne and Sydney.
AP News - Seven women and 12 children were confirmed to be returning on Qatar Airways flights.
AP News - No one was charged upon arrival, but investigations into their activities in Syria were ongoing.
AP News - Three of four women who returned earlier were charged with slavery and terrorism offenses.
AP News - The last Australian cohort returned from Syria on May 7.
AP News - Kawsar Ahmed and her daughter were arrested over allegations of buying a female Yazidi slave.
AP News - Janai Safar was arrested on charges of being a member of a terrorist organization.
WHERE:
AP News - Melbourne and Sydney, Australia.
AP News - Roj camp, northeast Syria, near the Iraq border.
WHEN:
AP News - The return of the 19 Australians occurred on a Tuesday.
AP News - The last Australian cohort returned from Syria on May 7.
AP News - Exclusion order for a woman prevents her return to Australia until February 2028.
WHY:
AP News - Exclusion orders were created by laws introduced in 2019 to prevent defeated IS fighters from returning to Australia for up to two years.
AP News - The Australian government warned that returnees could face charges due to their ties to ISIS.
AP News - Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated that those who committed crimes can expect to face the full force of the law.
AP News - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed contempt for anyone with sympathy for ISIS.
HOW:
AP News - The family of the woman in Roj camp has engaged a Sydney lawyer to challenge the exclusion order, which bars her from Australia until February 2028.
AP News - Australian law enforcement and intelligence agencies have been preparing for the return of individuals linked to ISIS since 2014.
(UPDATED May 27, 2026 01:38 UTC)
Two women with seven children have arrived in Melbourne, while four other women with six children landed in Sydney about an hour later, but the government has not provided any assistance to the group returning from Syria, according to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. At least two Australians remain in Roj camp, including a mother who left her Sydney home at 18 in 2015 to marry an IS fighter, and she is currently barred from returning to Australia by a temporary exclusion order. Her family has hired a Sydney lawyer to challenge this exclusion order, which prevents her from returning until February 2028.
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(UPDATED May 26, 2026 17:59 UTC)
Nineteen Australians linked to the Islamic State group have returned home, with two planes landing in Melbourne and Sydney. Among them are Kawsar Ahmed and her daughter, who were arrested over allegations of purchasing a female Yazidi slave, while Janai Safar faces charges for being a member of a terrorist organization. The Australian government has warned that returnees could face serious legal consequences, as Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke emphasized that those who committed crimes will face the full force of the law.