ISIS brides ‘caring mothers’ who ‘love Australia’ says Sydney doctor helping repatriation efforts from Syria

A Sydney doctor helping so-called “ISIS brides’ escape Syria insists they are “caring mothers” who “love Australia” but are scared to return because of the Prime Minister’s condemnation.

At the same time The Nightly has confirmed ASIO and the Australian Federal Police discussed the situation involving the stranded ISIS brides during a secret parliamentary committee hearing on Tuesday.

Members of Parliament’s Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security were told that law enforcement agencies had concerns about some members of the terrorist-linked group but that risks involving other members could be managed if they returned to Australia.

It comes a week after The Nightly revealed Dr Jamal Rifi, a close friend and supporter of Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, had flown to the middle east after obtaining new Australian passports for the terrorist-linked families.

Dr Rifi has now told SBS he travelled to the northern Syrian al-Roj camp on a “mission” with a “bunch of people” in a bid to return 11 women and their 23 children to Australia.

The cohort have made headlines after their failed attempt to leave the camp for Damascas last Monday, when the Syrian officials forced them to turn back.

But Dr Rifi said while he felt he was “making inroads” with the Syrian government about the cause, he has since had to “convince” the women to continue with their journey in the wake of political blow back in Australia.

“Unfortunately, the rhetoric from the Prime Minister in Australia, put them off and we’re trying to convince them otherwise,” he told the dedicated multicultural broadcaster.

“We’re not here to help anyone who is a sympathiser of ISIS. Our main aim is to help those Australian kids to be in safety. They have been forgotten.

“From my dealing with these women, I can find that they are caring mothers. And I believe this. And they love Australia.”

He also indicated that the women were having buyers’ regret after being stuck in the camp for several years, saying “I believe their stay in the camp made them realise the beauty of our country… and their country”.

“Unfortunately, they are still in the camp. They are devastated. Their only hope is what we are doing right now. We said we’re making some inroads with the Syrian government.

“We just have to wait and see. We are a bunch of people right now committed to what we believe in and we just keep on doing what we can.”

The Prime Minister and his Labor frontbenchers have repeatedly insisted that the Albanese government hasn’t played a role in supporting the return of the cohort to Australia.

The Nightly on Tuesday revealed a new video of the pair dancing together at a May 3 election night party for Mr Burke when Labor won a landslide 94-seat majority.

It includes Dr Rifi dancing with the initials “TB” spray-painted on his head while wearing a red Labor party T-shirt.

But questions remain about how Dr Rifi had obtained all Australian-issued documentation for the group in the al-Roj camp, as well as a former Sydney school boy Yusuf Zahab who was believed to be locked up in an adult facility in Syria since he was aged 13.

“We have the passport and total for the 35 cohort that we are aware of. We have not made any attempt to help any of the men. We only helping the woman and their children. Our mission was to repatriate 35, 11 women and 24 kids,” he said.

But he said helping Yusuf Zahab would have to be on “another mission” after it was found he has since been moved to an Iraq facility.

“He is no longer in Syria and has been taken to Iraq. Unfortunately, we can’t reach him. We do have some ID for him but we can’t reach him. We should bring him back but that’s for another mission.,” he said.

The women’s hesitation comes after Anthony Albanese told a podcast on Tuesday that the women could be charged on if they managed to return and had broken any Australian laws.