Australia Bars Citizen Formerly Held at ISIS Camp in Syria from Returning

The Australian government has banned one of its citizens from returning to the country after they were released from a detention camp linked to the radical Islamic State (ISIS) group in Syria. The ban was imposed on security grounds.

The unnamed Australian citizen was among a group of 34 women and children from Australia who had been held at the Roj camp in Syria, which houses individuals connected to ISIS.

“I can confirm that one individual in this group has been subject to a temporary exclusion order, made on the advice of security agencies,” Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement on Wednesday (18 February 2026).

“At this stage, the security agencies have not provided advice that other members of the group meet the legal threshold required for a temporary exclusion order,” Burke explained.

As Home Affairs Minister, Burke has the power to issue temporary exclusion orders lasting up to two years to prevent terrorist activities or politically motivated violence.

The banned Australian citizen, according to a Syrian Kurdish official speaking to AFP, was released from the ISIS-linked detention camp on Monday (16 February) local time but failed to reach the capital Damascus during their journey home.

The Kurdish official said the Australian citizen was returned to the detention camp due to “poor coordination” with Syrian authorities.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese affirmed his government’s refusal to assist in the repatriation of the ISIS-linked women and children.

“You sow the seeds, you bear the consequences,” he said, accusing the group of aligning with an ideology that sought to “damage and destroy our way of life”.

“We have done nothing to repatriate or assist these people,” Albanese stated firmly when speaking to reporters on Wednesday (18 February).

“I think it is very unfortunate that children are caught up in this. It was not their decision, but it was the decision of their parents or their mothers,” he added.

Humanitarian organisation Save the Children Australia filed a legal challenge in 2023 on behalf of 11 women and 20 children in Syria, seeking their repatriation. However, the Federal Court dismissed the case, affirming that the Australian government did not control their detention in Syria.