Two additional Australian ISIS brides deemed ‘extremists’ held separately in Syria’s Roj camp
It’s been revealed two additional ISIS brides are being held separately in Syria’s Roj camp over extremism concerns, as a standoff continues over the return of 11 women and 23 children.
Two additional Australian ISIS brides considered to be “extremists” are being held separately inside Syria’s Roj internment camp, as a political stalemate continues over the repatriation of 11 other women and 23 children.
The separation was confirmed by Roj camp director Hakamia Ibrahim, who said the overwhelming majority of Australian women detained in the Kurdish-controlled facility in northeast Syria had not displayed extremist behaviour.
However, she said two women were being housed apart from the main Australian group because of concerns about their views.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“In the camp, they did not cause problems – except for two people, of course,” Ms Ibrahim told The Australian.
“They are still among the extremists, from the extremist women.”
It comes as a group of 34 Australian women and children remain at the centre of a protracted dispute over whether they should be allowed to return to Australia. The group was recently turned back after attempting to travel to Damascus, leaving them stranded in Roj camp.
One of the 11 women has since been issued a two-year Temporary Exclusion Order by the Federal Government while authorities investigate whether criminal charges may apply, including entering a declared terrorist area.
Roj camp houses 788 families — mostly wives of suspected ISIS fighters and their children from Western nations. Kurdish authorities have announced plans to close the facility, although no definitive timeline has been set.
Ms Ibrahim warned the security situation surrounding the camp was deteriorating and claimed ISIS had “returned stronger than ever before”.
Despite passports being issued to members of the group, the Albanese Government has maintained it will not assist in their repatriation.
Humanitarian organisations, including Save the Children Australia, have urged the Government to prioritise the welfare of the children caught up in the impasse.
This comes after a Sydney doctor helping ISIS brides escape Syria last year told voters in the Home Affairs Minister’s electorate that voting for Tony Burke and Labor was the “only hope” of getting them home to Australia.
An open letter written by Dr Jamal Rifi has emerged after The Nightly uncovered a video of the prominent GP celebrating with Mr Burke on election night after he held his western Sydney seat of Watson.
“These children don’t know politics,” Dr Rifi wrote in a letter, published on April 7, 2025, in The Middle East Times.
“Their only hope is that if the Labor Party win government, they might one day return to safety and rebuild their lives.”
This week Dr Rifi has defended his relationship with Mr Burke as “irrelevant” amid his “mission” to the northern Syrian al-Roj camp to return 11 women and their 23 children to Australia.
The potential return of the terrorist-linked families was raised by the nation’s top law enforcement agencies at a secret parliamentary committee hearing in Canberra on Tuesday, The Nightly has confirmed.
ASIO and the Australian Federal Police are believed to have advised the Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security that while some could be managed upon return, others in the cohort could pose a risk to Australia.
