A large group of Australian Islamic State brides and their children left a Syrian camp on their way back to Australia late last night, but were turned around about 50 kilometres down the road and sent back to where they began.
It’s the latest frustration for 34 Australian women and children who have spent almost seven years in Syrian camps as the Australian government continues its refusal to repatriate them through official channels.
A camp official told this masthead their promised departure to the Syrian capital, Damascus, then Beirut, then Australia, had been paused for an unspecified period of time – possibly hours, possibly days.
It’s unclear why, but the official speculated that the three Australian men accompanying the women and children had not organised the correct permission between the factions governing the region.
The official insisted “it’s not cancelled, it’s postponed for a period of time”.
Read the full story from senior writer Michael Bachelard.
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