SYDNEY, May 22 (Reuters) - A second group of Australian women and children linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) extremist group have departed a refugee camp in northeast Syria and may be returning to Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday.
The broadcaster said a bus carrying the group left the Al-Roj camp on Thursday afternoon under escort by a convoy of Syrian government officials. The group is expected to reach Damascus, though it remains unclear when they might travel to Australia, the report said.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Australia's security and intelligence agencies had been preparing for the return of women linked to ISIS for more than a decade.
"This is not a coherent group, there is a spectrum in terms of the actions of the individuals while they have been away from Australia," Burke said by email.
He did not provide details about the group's travel to Australia.
The Australian government has previously ruled out providing direct assistance for the return of Australian families linked to ISIS but has acknowledged "very serious limits" to preventing citizens from re-entering the country.
Earlier this month, four women and nine children linked to ISIS returned to Australia after spending seven years in detention camps. Upon arrival, Kawsar Ahmad, 54, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, were charged with slavery offences, while 32-year-old Janai Safar faced terror-related charges.
The return of the women drew criticism, with opponents accusing Australia's centre-left government of failing to prevent their repatriation.
Between 2012 and 2016, some Australian women travelled to Syria to join their husbands who were allegedly members of ISIS. Following the collapse of the caliphate in 2019, many were detained in camps, while others returned home.
In January, the United States began moving detained ISIS members out of Syria after the collapse of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which had been guarding several detention facilities housing ISIS fighters and affiliated civilians, including foreigners.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
