Four Australian women and 13 children who had been detained in an internally displaced persons camp since the fall of Islamic State in 2019 in Syria have arrived safely in Sydney.
However, the mothers, who were partners to Islamic State members, could face continued controls, including ankle monitors and curfews, based off a fear they had been radicalised while in Syria.
Among the group of Australian citizens repatriated by the federal government were Kamalle Dabboussy’s daughter, Mariam, and her children.
Dabboussy said his family was tired from the long journey, and jetlagged, but happy.
“The children are in a wild new world,” he said. “They look with wonder and amazement around them and unpack boxes of toys and presents and stuff at the moment, so there is pure amazement and joy with the children.”
Earlier this month, the Albanese government confirmed the rescue plan, with the first people removed assessed as the the most vulnerable of those being held.
The federal government worked with Kurdish authorities on the extraction, which reportedly included DNA testing the individuals to prove they were Australian citizens.
Most of the children were born in Syria, meaning they will be seeing Australia for the first time.
“Like all children, they are resilient,” Dabboussy said. “They are happy and, in some cases, children are meeting family members, they do not know who they are, and getting to know grandparents for the first time.
“As far as going back to school, and education, we will take that one step at a time. We do not know when that will take place and we will work with the department of education.”
Dabboussy said his daughter was coerced into going to Syria. Many of the other women, some of whom are still there, also say they were tricked or forced into going with their husbands. When their husbands were killed or imprisoned, they were detained.
The women left Syria on Thursday to return to Sydney – where they are from – via Iraq. They and their children were taken to an unnamed hotel in Sydney once they arrived. More women and children are expected to follow.
On Saturday the women released a statement, saying they were “deeply thankful to be back home in Australia with our children”.
“We appreciate the complexity and significant work it has taken from many people, including the Australian government, to bring us home,” the statement said. “We want to express our regret for the trouble and hurt we have caused, especially to our families.
“We are willing to do whatever is asked of us by government authorities to ensure the safety of our families and the Australian community and we will fully cooperate with all Australian law enforcement agencies.”
Most of the children are under six and they faced poor hygiene and nutrition in the camp, and limited access to clean drinking water, medical care and education. Australian children have also suffered malnutrition and frostbite.
Other countries, including France, the United States and Germany, had already repatriated citizens. The former Coalition government had brought back eight orphaned children but refused to bring back any more.
The home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, said the New South Wales government was providing “extensive support services” to help the women and children reintegrate.
The NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team are investigating allegations of unlawful activity.
“Any identified offences may lead to law enforcement action being taken,” O’Neil said. “At all times the focus has been the safety and security of all Australians as well as the safety of those involved in the operation.
“Informed by national security advice, the government has carefully considered the range of security, community and welfare factors in making the decision to repatriate.
“The decision to repatriate these women and their children was informed by individual assessments following detailed work by national security agencies.”
The Save the Children chief executive, Mat Tinkler, said the camp was “one of the worst places in the world to be a child”.
“We welcome this news, and we want to thank and congratulate the Albanese government, and in particular the home affairs minister, for making what is a principled decision, and the right decision, in the best interest of the Australian public, the best interest of the Kurdish administration, who had been carrying the burden of these refugee camps on behalf of the world, and, most importantly, the best interest of these innocent children and their mothers,” he said.
The women will be individually assessed for any risk they might pose to the Australian public, then monitored accordingly.
However, the shadow minister for home affairs, Karen Andrews, said the “entire mission” had been handled “abysmally”.
“We have a rookie home affairs minister, who has little to no national security experience, in cabinet,” she said. “And yet a decision to bring back women and children from Syria has been taken in the very early days of this government.”
She accused O’Neil of hiding behind the advice of the national security agencies.
“It is inexcusable, the actions that have been taken … in putting Australian lives at risk to extract women and children from the camps in Syria. The risk that is now in Australian community.”
Dabboussy said he walked into a room then Mariam cheekily grabbed him from behind for a hug.
“There were hugs and tears and an emotional moment at that point,” he said. “It was just, it was quite overwhelming with joy.
“It is hard to put in words exactly how to you felt at that point in time but intense joy.”
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said his government “will always act in a way that keeps Australians safe”.
