Second ‘ISIS brides’ group set to touchdown in Australia within hours

Another group of ISIS-linked women and children are expected to touch down in Sydney and Melbourne on Tuesday evening.

The cohort of 19 are understood to be the second group to leave Damascus and head for Australia after living in the Al-Roj refugee camp.

Four mothers and nine children who had been living in the Al-Roj camp arrived in Australia earlier this month.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has already warned that if authorities have evidence members of the second group should be charged, the group will be met with the “full force of the law” on arrival.

It comes after three of the four women in the previous cohort were arrested as they arrived over serious allegations.

Kawsar Abbas, 53, and Zeinab Ahmed, 31, were arrested in Melbourne, while 32-year-old Janai Safar was arrested in Sydney.

Ms Abbas was charged with crimes against humanity, including enslavement, possessing a slave, using a slave and slave trading.

Ms Safar was charged with entering or remaining in a prohibited region and belonging to a terror group.

It’s expected four women and their six children will land in Sydney and two women and their seven children will touch down in Melbourne on Tuesday.

It comes after their bus was seen leaving the camp in northern Syria late last week. The group then flew out of Damascus on Monday evening.

One woman was banned from returning after a temporary exclusion order was imposed on her by the Albanese government in February.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke released a statement on Tuesday reiterating that the Australian Government did not provide any assistance to the group.

He added that any members of the ISIS-linked group who had committed crimes could expect to face the full force of the law.

“These are people who have made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation and to place their children in an unspeakable situation,” he said.

“Our world-class law enforcement and intelligence agencies have been preparing for their return since 2014 and have long-standing plans in place to manage and monitor them.

“The priority of the government, as always, is the safety of the Australian community.”

Save the Children Australia chief executive Mat Tinkler welcomed the group’s return in a statement released on Tuesday.

“These innocent children have endured years in dangerous and unstable conditions, and we have held serious concerns for their safety and wellbeing,” Mr Tinkler said.

“The political debate surrounding their future in Australia has been deeply disappointing. As Australian citizens, it was always a matter of ‘when’ these women and children came home, not ‘if’.

“While much attention has focused on the circumstances of the mothers, two thirds of the returning group are children. Australia must prioritise their safety, wellbeing and right to live in this country as Australian citizens.”

He also insisted that the charity didn’t play a role in the group’s return from northeastern Syria but said Save the Children had long supported the families in their advocacy efforts.